
wm,™!.?*' CONGRESS 

llllllfllll 

00004300701 



A SURVEY 

H L Y '1 A N I) ; 

geoctEapht. history, and destixt, 

DESIGNED TO ELUCIDATE THE IMAGERY OF SCRIPTURE, AXD 
DEMONSTRATE THE FULFILMENT OF PROPHECY. 

BY J. T. ^ A X X T S T E E, 

Author of "Chart of the Hcly Land," " Incidents of Jev^-ish History " &c S:c. 
YYITH AN INTRODUCTION 

BY THE llEY. W. ^MABSH, D. D. 

YICAR OF ST. ilARTS, LEAMINGTON. 

*' Immen.sos Orientia tliesniros, amplissimunniue Sci entire campum, cursumqne 
ad laudem patcfaciet." — Lowjh. 



FOCRTEENTH XHOC:SA^■D. 




AND 19, CHE.\P STREET, BATH. 



EDINBURGH: OLIVER AND BOYD. DrBLIN : J. M'gLASHAN. 



> 



PREFACE. 



It is an encouraging feature in the aspect of the present 
times, that a greater degree of attention is being given 
to the Sacred Writings than at any former period. 
Notwithstanding the bold aggressive movements oi 
Infidelity on the one hand, and of semi-Popery on the 
other, there never was a time when the holy Scriptures 
were more widely diffused, more extensively read, or 
more attentively studied. Sabbath-schools, Bible-classes 
and other auxiliary means, have elevated the public 
taste, and created a craving for mental aliment of a 
higher order. The youth of the present day, not satis- 
fied by a superficial acquaintance with the tecct of 
Scripture, evince a commendable solicitude to excavate 
more deeply the mines of Inspired Truth, and to tra- 
verse with a critical and observant eye the vast, fields 
of Biblical research. Hence the increased demand for 
works which treat of Sacred Geography and History 
and whose tendency is to elucidate the sense and dis- 
play the beauties of the Sacred Text. To meet this 

A 



IV 



PREFACE. 



demand, many works of unquestioned excellence have 
been issued from the press. The voluminous and 
elaborate works of Bochart, Wells, Michaelis, Calmet, 
and Hartwell Horne ; the " Jewish Antiquities of 
Ikeneus, Reland, and others ; the " Observations of 
Harmer, the " Oriental Customs of Burder, and the 
admirable " Illustrations of Paxton, have contributed 
in no small degree to enrich the archives of Sacred 
Literature, and have acquired a high and merited 
celebrity. 

These works, however, are, for the most part, 
voluminous and costly to render them generally acces- 
sible. Few, comparatively, have either leisure or in- 
clination to travel over so wide a field, or to wade 
through the mass of learned lumber beneath which the 
treasures of knowledge sometimes lie concealed. In 
the judgment of many a book was still wanted, a com- 
pact and moderate-priced volume, which should contain, 
in a smaller compass, a condensed and systematic view 
of those subjects most essential to the elucidation of the 
Sacred Writings, and which might spare the labour of 
referring to a multitude of works, containing much ex- 
traneous and recondite matter, in search of some clear 
account of the places and events so frequently referred 
to in the Bible, or of the physical and moral phenomena 
which form the basis of the sublime imagery with which 
its pages are adorned. This desideratum the compiler of 
the present volume has endeavoured to supply. It has 
been his aim to accumulate and compress into a single 
volume the cream of many larger ones ; to educe from 



PREFACE. 



V 



the writings of ancient and modern autliors a succinct 
yet comprehensive epitome of the Greography, History, 
and Antiquities of Palestine ; and to give " form and 
pressure" to those facts and phenomena which illustrate 
the sense, display the beauties, and establish the truth 
of the Inspired Records. 

It has been justly observed by Bishop Horsley, that 
" every sentence of the Bible is from God, and every 
man is interested in the meaning of it." The Bible is 
the common property of the world ; and no just reason 
can be assigned for withholding from the least or the 
lowest any information that may tend to dissipate its 
obscurity, or throw fresh light and lustre around the 
Oracles of God. A knowledge of the geography and 
history of the East, and of the civil and ecclesiastical 
usages of antiquity, will invest the narrations of Scrip- 
ture with additional charms, by displaying the incom- 
parable beauty and sublimity of its style, the aptness of 
its imagery, and the correctness of its allusions. " The 
sacred writers,'' says Paxton, " borrowed their figures 
from scenery of a peculiar kind ; they alluded to 
phenomena in the heavens and on the earth, of whicb 
we can form almost no conception from the state of 
nature around us. They connect the events they record 
and the predictions they utter, with places whose history 
is unknown to the rest of the world. This, it must be 
admitted, throws a shade of obscurity over the pages of 
inspiration, which it is the duty, as it is the interest, 
of the biblical student to remove. To understand the 
meaning of many passages in the Sacred Records; to 



vi 



PREFACE. 



discern the force and beauty of the language in which 
they are clothed, and the admirable propriety and sig- 
nificance of their allusions ; in one word, to derive all 
the advantage from the Sacred Volume which it is 
calculated and intended to bestow, we must render 
ourselves familiar with the physical and moral condition 
of the countries where it was written ; we must examine 
the geographical situation of Canaan and the surround- 
ing states, ascertain the sites of their principal towns and 
cities, and acquire some knowledge of their history/' 

" If, in order to enter fully into the meaning, or 
coriectly apprehend the ^. iirious beauties of the Greek 
and Roman classics, it be necessary to be acquainted 
with the peculiar forms of government which prevailed 
— the powers of m^agistrates — modes of executing the 
laws — the punishment of criminals — tributes or other 
duties imposed on subjects — their military affairs — 
sacred rites and festivals — private life, manners, and 
amusements — commerce, measures, and weights, &c., 
&c., how much greater difficulties will be interposed 
in his way, who attempts to interpret the Scriptures 
. without a knowledge of these topics ? For, as the 
customs and manners of the Oriental people are widely 
different from those of the western nations ; as, fur- 
thcr, their sacred rites differ most essentially from 
everything with which we are acquainted, and as the 
Jews in particular, from the simplicity of their lan- 
guage, have drawn very numerous metaphors from 
the works of nature, from the ordinary occupations 
and arts of life, from religion and things connected 



PREFACE. 



vii 



with it, as well as from their national history; — there 
are many things recorded, both in the Old and New 
Testaments, which must appear to Europeans either 
obscure, unintelligible, repulsive, or absurd ; unless, 
forgetting our own peculiar habits and modes of tlrlnk- 
ing, we transport ourselves in a manner to the East, 
and diligently study the customs, whether political, 
sacred, or civil, which obtained there/' * 

Without some acquaintance with Sacred Geography, 
many of the finest passages in the Bible must be unin- 
telligible and meaningless. The reader may test the 
correctness of this remark, by a single experiment. 
Let him ask himself the meaning of the following pas- 
sages : — ^' His seed shall be in many waters.'' (Numb, 
xxiv. 7.) " Cast thy bread upon the waters : for thou 
shalt find it after many days." (Eccles. xi. 1.) 

" And the glowing sand shall become a pool, and the 
thirsty soil bubbling springs." (Isa. xxxv. 7, Lowth's 
Trans.) " Make them like a wheel, as stubble before 
the wind." (Psalm Ixxxiii. ] 3.) "The sun shall not 
smite thee by day, nor the moon by night." (Psalm 
cxxi. 6.) "Ye shall not see wind." (2 Kings iii. 17.) 
" Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift, is like clouds 
and wind without rain." (Prov. xxv. 1 4.) " For the 
land whither thou goest to possess it, is not as the land 
of Egypt from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst 
thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of 
herbs." (Deut. xi. 10.) We hazard nothing by the 
assertion, that a person entirely ignorant of the agri- 

* Home. 

A 2 



viii 



PREFACE. 



cultural usages and atmospheric phenomena of the 
East, Avould find it exceedingly difficult to give a cor- 
rect explanation of these allusions. " How much does 
a knowledge of the place where events happen, increase 
the power of narratives of those events to affect us. 
With how much greater impression shall we read the 
narrative of the location of our first parents in Paradise, 
of the events which happened to them there, and of 
their expulsion from it, when, in our imagination, we 
can fix on a spot in the map of the earth, and say, 
' There all these occurrences took place.' With how 
much greater impression shall we read the story of the 
Deluge, when we can readily recur to the country where 
the ark was built, can follow it in its course, from the 
point where it began to float to that on which it rested, 
when the waters had retired from it ; and can descry 
the region in which Noah and his family settled, on 
disembarking from this stupendous vessel ! What over- 
whelming pathos does it give to the narrative of Jesus 
weeping over Jerusalem, when we can place ourselves 
by his side on the mount of Olives, and stretching our 
vision across the intervening valley, can survey the 
magnificence and animation of the devoted city, while 
he exclaims, ' Oh ! that thou hadst known, even thou, 
in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace, 
but now they are hid from thine eyes ! ' How much 
more tragical is the scene of our Lord's passion when 
we are familiar with the ^Garden of Gethsemane,' and 
' the place which is called Calvary ! ' How much more 
readily do we participate in the joy of the disciples at 



PREFACE, ix 

the resurrection of their Lord, when we are acquainted 
with ^ the garden, in which was a new tomb, hewn out 
of a rock ' * 

It is also important at the present juncture, when 
scepticism and infidelity are rampant around us, and 
designing men are practising on the credulity of the 
young and ignorant, to draw them away from the sim- 
plicity of the truth, that a larger measure of attention 
should be paid to the Prophecies, to the proofs of their 
exact and literal fulfilment, and to the evidence, the 
triumphant and decisive evidence, they furnish in 
iSupport of the Divine authority and inspiration of the 
Bible. 

Prophecy is a miracle of knowledge, an effort of super- 
human intelligence; it is the foretelling or describing of 
some future accident or event, beyond the power of 
human sagacity to discern, and in the absence of any of 
the ordinary indications of its occurrence. This is the 
highest kind of evidence that can be given of super- 
natural converse with the Deity, and of the truth of a 
revelation from God. The prophecies of the Bible form 
a regular chain, extending almost from the birth of time 
to the consummation of all things. Many of them relate 
to events so distant, so improbable, and so apparently 
incongruous, that no human foresight could have anti- 
cipated them. Some relate to dates, persons, and minute 
circumstances, that require the most exact accomplish- 
ment ; and some are being fulfilled at the present time, 
and before our eyes ; so that however doubtful or suspi- 

■'^ Ransom. 



X PREFACE, 

cious this kind of evidence may once have been, it is daily 
accumulating, and gathering strength as it accumulates. 
" Time/' says Bishop Newton, " that detracts something 
from the evidence of other writers, is still adding some- 
thing to the credit and authority of the Prophets/' 

No man can read through, with a candid and un- 
biassed mind, Dr. Keith's book on the Prophecies, and 
remain an infidel 

Actuated by these views, the Author has endeavoured 
to show the perfect correspondence of the predictions con- 
cerning Judsea and the Jews to the present condition of 
that country and people ; history is employed as the in- 
terpreter of prophecy, and made to attest the minute and 
entire accomplishment of those events which were made 
known to the Fathers by the inspiration of Omniscience. 
The Author does not deem it requisite to enumerate the 
multiplied sources from which he has drawn his materiel. 
The truth is, many of them are compilations from pre- 
ceding compilations, and, therefore, have no title to be 
specified as original authorities; whilst in other instances, 
the matter gleaned from them has been so modified, 
altered, or interwoven with other matter, that it would 
be exceedingly difiicult to assign each fragment of infor- 
mation to its proper original. In many instances, the 
authorities are specified under the articles illustrated 
and enriched by their contributions. Amongst the more 
prominent may be mentioned : — Herodotus, Diodorus 
Siculus, Strabo, Pliny, Quintus Curtius, Josephus, 
Eusebius, and Jerome : and amongst the moderns, 
Bochart, Wells, Maundrell, Shaw, Pococke, Bruce? 



PREFACE. 



XI 



D'Anville, Dr. E. Clarke, Hasselquist, Van Egmont and 
Heyman, Chateaubriand, Niebuhr, Burckhardt, Buck- 
ingham, Richardson, Robinson, Morier, Kerr Porter, 
Lamartine, Stephens, and Dr. Russell ; Usher, Hales, Cal- 
met, Newton, Prideaux, Michaelis Faber, Keith, Dr. A 
Clarke, Shuckford, and Rennel ; Home's Introduction, 
Watson's Biblical Dictionary, Harmer's Observations. 
Conder's Palestine, and Professor Paxton's Illustrations 
of Scripture, have been invaluable helps ; Harris's Dic- 
tionary of Biblical Natural History, Malte Brun's 
Universal Greography, Ransom's Biblical Topography, 
and Applegate's Sacred Geography and History, have 
supplied some useful details ; but to no single work is 
the Author so largely indebted, as to Mansford's Scrip- 
ture Gazetteer — decidedly the best work of the kind 
extant. It is written with great care, displays much 
critical acumen in the discussion of disputed points, and 
is in itself a complete thesaurus of biblical information. 

The following volume is chiefly designed as a Manual, 
or book of reference for the young, which, while it grati- 
fies to some extent the thirst for Scriptural knowledge, 
may provoke the appetite, and stimulate to further 
inquiry. It is the fruit of many laborious days and 
sleepless nights ; and is now committed to the press in 
the earnest hope that it may minister to the instruction, 
enlarge the views, and confirm the faith of the youthful 
inquirer, and thus subserve in some humble measure the 
interests of true religion — that religion which is " the 
pillar of society, the safeguard of nations, the parent of 
social order, which alone has power to curb the fury of 



xii 



PREFACE. 



the passions, and secure to every one his rights ; to the 
laborious the rewards of their industry, to the rich 
the enjoyment of their wealth, to nobles the preserva- 
tion of their honours, and to princes the stability of 
their thrones." 



LIST OF MAPS AND ENGRAVINGS. 



I. FRONTISPIECE — JERUSALEM FROM THE ' 
MOUNT OF OLIVES 

IL TITLE MOUNT ZION 

III. MAP OF CANAAN, ADAPTED TO THE OLD 



TESTAMENT HISTORY ... 22 
IV. MAP OF JUDiEA, ADAPTED TO THE NEW 

TESTAMENT HISTORY . . , 28 

V. MOUNT CARMEL IN A STORM . . . 56 

VI. THE CEDARS OF LEBANON ... 96 

VII. Jacob's well, with mounts ebal and 

GERIZIM 147 

VIII. THE ORIENTAL ASS .... 18J 

IX. THE CAMEL 183 

X. THE EAGLE 188 

XL THE OSTRICH ... . 191 

XIL THE STORK 193 

XIIL THE PELICAN . ... 195 
XIV. INTERIOR OF THE GROTTO OF THE 

NATIVITY AT BETHLEHEM . 208 



XIV LIST OF MAPS AND ENGRAVINGS. 

PAGE, 

XV. INTERIOR OF THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY 

SEPULCHRE AT JERUSALEM . . 8J 2 

XVL THE PASSAGE OF THE ISRAELITES y 

THROUGH THE RIVER JORDAN . . 381 

XVIL MEETING OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT y 

WITH THE JEWISH PRIESTS . . 411 

XVIIL THE SIEGE OF JERUSALEM BY TITUS . 455 

XIX. A STREET VIEW IN MODERN JERUSALEM 489' 



INTRODUCTION. 



Every publication which has a tendency to bring before 
the Christian world the past, present and future state of 
the People of Israel, must be bol'h interesting and useful, 
and calculated to awaken the best sympathies of the heart. 
With them the dispensations of Jehovah towards our 
fallen world have been intimately connected, and the final 
victory of truth is yet suspended on their conversion. 
Important were the results that followed their rejection 
and dispersion among the Gentiles ; but far more im- 
portant and glorious will be the results of their ingathering 
and conversion to the faith of Christ ; for, " if the casting 
away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall 
the receiving of them be uut life from the ^^ead (Eom. 
xi. ]5.) And yet v/hat criminal indifference has been 
manifested towards them. The seed of Abraham, the 
children of the promise, have long wandered among the 
nations as sheep without a Shepherd,^^ " no man caring 
for their souls.''^ We have been sending forth Bibles and 
Missionaries to the remotest hemispheres of the earth, and 
aiming, in the amplitude of our benevolence, at the con- 
version of " every nation under heaven,^^ while that nation 
which gave us the Bible, which produced the germ of all 
Missionary operations, and sent forth the first Apostles 
and Heralds of the Cross, has been lost sight of and 
forgotten. Happily, Christians are beginning to shake off 
this apathy, and are rising to their duty with reference to 
the " remnant according to the election of grace.''^ Many 
are now declaring with St. Paul, — " Brethren, my hearths 



B 



2 



INTRODUCTION. 



desire and prayer to God for Israei is^ that they may be 
saved/^ and are putting forth the efforts of Christian love^ 
'"if by any means they may save some." 

Another important movement is also taking place. 
Lovvth, Horsley, and other eminent Divines, having 
called attention to the literal interpretation of prophecy, 
and adopted the principle laid down by the judicious 
Hooker_, that where a literal construction will stand, 
the farthest from the letter is commonly the worst/' 
the expectation is rising that God^s ancient people the 
Jews will shortly be gathered from the four corners of 
the earth, and be restored to their own land, and that 
by this great event infidelity will be put to silence, the 
truth of the prophetic Scriptures demonstrated, and 
every tongue be made to confess that Jesus is Lord, 
to the glory of God the Father." 

This event is so clearly revealed and so frequently 
referred to in the Sacred Volume, that it is dif&culfc to 
conceive how any candid and unprejudiced mind could 
have entertained a doubt on the subject. When Moses, 
in the spirit of prophecy, foretells their dispersion to " the 
utmost part of heaven," he as plainly declares their restora- 
tion : *^The Lord thy God will turn thy captivity and have 
compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from 
all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath scattered 
thee. And the Lord thy God will bring thee into the 
land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it." 
(Deut. XXX. 3, 5.) And when he puts that song in their 
mouth, which was to be remembered by al] generations, 
having reminded them of the special favour and loving- 
kindness of Jehovah manifested towards them, and their 
ingratitude to him as shown by their repeated apostacies, 
he still adverts to the fulfilment of the unchange- 
able covenant, when the Most High will be "merciful 
unto his land and to his people." (Deut. xxxii. 43.) 
In this chapter, Moses, glancing with an eye of prophetic 



INTRODUCTION. 



3 



fire through the dark vista of futurity^ gives a prospective 
sketct of the history and destinies of that highly favoured 
yet guilty nation, from his own period to the end of time. 
He sets forth the faithfulness and goodness of God, as 
displayed in his dealings towards them; (ver. 6 — 14;) 
their ingratitude, idolatry, and forgetfulness of God ; (ver. 
15—18 ;) Jehovah^s righteous indignation, and the fearful 
consequences of it ; (ver. 19 — 25 ;) the ultimate destruc» 
tion of their enemies ; (ver. 41, 42 ;) the relentings of 
Divine compassion, and return of mercy to the house of 
Israel ; (ver. 36 ;) and their restoration to their own land, 
(ver. 43.) 

It is also worthy of remark, that the language of the 
subsequent prophets exactly coincides with the truths con- 
tained in. the foregoing summary. They frequently advert 
to a period, a "set time,^^ premeditated and resolved upon 
in the unchangeable counsels of Jehovah, when he will 
" repent himself concerning his servants — when " the 
Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover 
the remnant of his people — and when " he shall set up 
an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts 
of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from 
the four corners of the earth.^^ (Isa. xi. 12.) And the pro- 
phet Jeremiah represents the deliverance and ingathering 
of Israel as a work upon which Jehovah hath set his 
heart, and in which he will take peculiar pleasure : — " Be-_ 
hold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I 
have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and 
in great wrath ; and I will bring them again unto this 
place, and I will cause them to dwell safely. And they 
shall be my people, and I will be their God. And I will 
make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not 
turn away from them, &c. Yea, I will rejoice over them 
to do them good, and I will plant them in this laud 
Ji^ssuredly, with my whole heart, and with ray whole soul. 
And fields shall be bought in this land, whereof ye say, 



4 



INTROt>UCTIO^. 



It is desolate,, without man or beast ; it is given into the 
hand of the Chaldeans." (ch. xxxii.) To the restoration 
and conversion of his chosen people^ Jehovah has 
pledged himself in the most solemn manner, and in a 
covenant which cannot be broken, ^^Thns saith the 
Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the 
ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by 
night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof 
roar; the Lord of hosts is his name. If those ordi- 
nances depart from before me, saith the Lord, then the 
seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation 
before me for ever. Thus saith the Lord : If heaven 
above can be measured, and the foundations of the 
earth searched out beneath, I will &lso cast off all 
the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith 
the Lord." (Jer. xxxi. 35—37.) 

Sufficient attention has n,ot always been paid to the 
marked and proper distinction between the Jews and 
the Ten Tribes, called in Scripture, Judah and Israel, 
or Judah and Ephraim. The kingdom of Judah, com- 
prising the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, was invaded 
and the people carried into captivity by Nebuchad- 
nezzar, king of Babylon; from which, seventy years 
afterwards, they returned to the land of their fathers. 
They were subsequently dispersed and driven from 
their paternal inheritance by the Romans under Titus, 
and still remain scattered among the nations. 

The kingdom of Israel — that is, the Ten Tribes who 
revolted under Jeroboam — was conquered and led into 
captivity by Shalmaneser, king of Assyria ; nor are we 
anywhere informed that they ever returned from this 
captivity, although the return of the Jews from Baby- 
lon is described in its minutest details. The entire 
absence of such testimony warrants us in concluding 
that they did not return. If, therefore, (as will be 
shown in the following volume,) there are any passages 



INTRODUCTION. 



5 



in the wiitings of the prophets^ which clearly intimate 
tlie return of the whole nation, the Ten Tribes as well 
as the Two Tribes^ or any which announce the re- 
storation and prosperity of the kingdom of Judah sub- 
sequent to its dispersion by the Romans^ then the 
fulfilment of those prophecies must yet be future. The 
land that now lietli desolate shall again rejoice and 
blossom like the rose. ''Jerusalem shall be trodden 
under foot of the Gentiles^ until the times of tlie Gren- 
tiles be fulfilled but no longer. The Ten Tribes vjill 
yet be found; whether am.ong the aborigines of North 
America^ or the Afi^gbans in Persia_, or tbe Nestorians, 
or the tribes inhabiting the interior of Africa, or the 
Anglo- Spoxonsj v/bom Sharon Turner traces to Media, 
where tbe Scriptures leave tlie Ten Tribes, or, (which 
is most probable,) dispersed among them all, according 
to the prophetic intimation given to Ephraim — ^' His 
seed shall become a multitude of nations wherever 
they are, if there be any truth or meaning in the 
announcements of the prophetic page, they will yet 
be recovered, gathered to tbeir own land, and reunited 
to Judab, the twelve tribes no longer forming two 
distinct and rival kingdoms, but dwelling together in 
amity and love. In that day, 'Hbe envy of Ephraim 
shall depart, and the adversaries of Judab shall be cut 
off; Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall 
not vex Ephraim.^-' (Isa. xi. 13.) 

Every work whose design and tendency is to in- 
crease our knowledge of Palestine — its Geography, its 
History, and its Destiny, must be deemed an acqui- 
sition to the sacred literature of tbe age. Every acre 
of Palestine is hallowed ground; hallowed by the me- 
morials of events the most important and pathetic in 
human history. Palestine was given by covenant to 
the seed of Jacob when the Most High divided unto 
the nations their inheritance. Palestine was tbe land 



6 



INTRODUCTION. 



of Prophecies and of Miracles. Palestine gave birtL 
to the Saviour of the M^orld, was the scene of his 
ministry, and the theatre of his passion and crucifixion. 
From Palestine, as from the centre, ^ays of hght have 
diverged and gone forth to illumine tlie dark places of 
the earth, which were full of the habitations of cruelty/' 
It is, emphatically, " ImmanueFs Land," (Isa. viii. 8,) 
where he once suffered, and where he shall hereafter reign 
in majesty and glory, as " King over all the earth." 
(Zech. xiv. 9.) "And his feet shall stand in that day 
upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on 
the east; and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the 
midst thereof toward the east, and toward the west, and 
there shall be a very great valley ; and half of the moun- 
tain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward 
the south. And the Lord my God shall come, and all 
the saints with thee." (ver. 4, 5.) Then shall Messiah^s 
throne be planted in Jerusalem. "They shall call Jeru- 
salem the throne of the Lord ; and all the nations shall be 
gathered unto it : neither shall they walk any more after 
the imagination of their evil heart." (Jer. iii. 17.) "Out 
of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord 
from Jerusalem." (Isa. ii. 3.) 

It is obvious from these and many other parts of the 
Inspired Word, that Palestine is destined again to be the 
theatre of great events, and that the Jewish nation will 
occupy a prominent position in the future history of our 
world. No duty, therefore, can be plainer or more impe- 
rative than obedience to the voice of the prophet : — " Go 
through, go through the gates ; prepare ye the way of the 
peoolcj cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the 
stones ; lift up a standard for the people. Behold, the 
Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say \e 
to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh ; 
behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. 
And they shall call them. The holy people, The redeemed 



INTRODUCTION. 



7 



of the Lord: and thou shalt be called^ ^Sought out/ A 
city not forsaken." (Isa. Ixii. 10 — 12.) The nations that 
have not come in contact with the Jews in the way of 
persecution, will find that day to be a day of gladness ; 
but woe unto them who have hfted up their hand against 
them, and have not repented of their deeds. The male- 
diction of the dying patriarch has never been abrogated : 
" Cursed be he that curseth thee, and blessed be he that 
blesseth thee.'' (Gen. xxvii. 29.) 

I trust the following pages will be instrumental, under 
the Divine blessing, in awakening a deep and holy interest 
in the destinies of a Land and a People which the great 
Creator of Heaven and Earth has specially marked out 
for his own, and stimulating the Church of Christ to 
more vigorous efforts for the conversion of the " seed of 
Abraham.'' 

Apart from the sacred reminiscences and prospects that 
cluster around it, the land of Canaan presents many 
physical features and geographical phenomena, which 
entitle it to a minute and critical investigation ^ and the 
more so on account of the sublime and beautiful allusions 
to them with which the Sacred Writings abound. There 
are many passages in the Bible, containing references to 
the country and climate of Judsea — to the manners and 
customs of the Jews — and to the domestic and political 
usages of other Oriental nations, the beauty and appropri- 
ateness of which cannot be appreciated without some 
knowledge of the Geography and History of Palestine. 
An acquaintance with this important branch of Bibhcal 
knowledge, will not only render the contents of the In- 
spired Volume more intelligible and striking, but will also 
give to its narrations a more intense and hallowed in- 
terest. And the attractions held out by the Geography 
and Natural History of the East, may possibly direct the 
attention of some to the wonderful events involved in its 
future destiny, and awaken an interest on behalf of the 



8 



INTRODUCTION. 



mos: remarkable and anomalous people that ever inhabited 
our world. Great results sometimes proceed from small 
beginnings, and mighty causes are put into operation by 
trivial incidents. This was exemplified in the case of that 
great and good man, the late Rev. Lewis Way. He was 
one day riding by the walls of a garden belonging to a 
certain lady in the county of Devon, when some one said 
to him, " That must have been a very peculiar character, 
for she left a request in her will, that some of the trees in 
her garden might not be cut down till the Jews were 
restored to their own land.^^ This circumstance led the 
excellent man to reflect upon the subject, and to read the 
Scriptures with reference to the Jews ; and as he read, his 
mind became deeply impressed with the thought, that they 
were emphatically the people of God, that they were a 
people beloved for their fathers^ sake, and that in the 
Divine purposes they were destined to exhibit the unchange- 
able faithfulness of Jehovah, in their future restoration to 
their own land, and in their conversion to their own 
Messiah. Thus was the seed lodged in that good man^s 
mind, which took deep root, and which has already pro- 
duced abundant fruit. He became the warm and devoted 
friend of the " seed of Abraham," and by his noble con- 
tribution of ^10,000, was instrumental in the hands of 
Divine Providence, in preserving from ruin, and placing 
on a stable foundation, that excellent institution, " The 
London Society for Promoting Christianity amongst the 
Jews.' 

I trust the following pages will be extensively and care- 
fully read, and that, under the Divine blessing, they may 
prove subservient to the glory of the Great Bedemer, and 
"■he edification of his people, both Jews and Gentiles. 



/ eammgton, June 1 5th, 



W. MARSH. 



k SURVEY OF THE HOLY LAND. 



PAKT I. 

THE GEOGRAPHY OF CANAAN 

CHAPTER L 
HISTORICAL GEOGHAPHY. 

Yai'ious Names given to the Couatry — Geographical Boundaries — 
Tribal Allotments by Joshua — Accessions by the Conquests of David 
and Solomon — Territories of Judah and Israel — Proyincial Divisions by 
the Romans — ^Modern Divisions under the Turkish Government. 

f d 

'■ '-■"■^"^■-f ALESTINE— the garden of tlie 
Lord''— tlie glory of all lands 
"lIoV^^ " >; the theatre on which have been 

^li^^^' ■ - ^ V enacted many of the most momentous 
events recorded in the chronicles of the world — 
^^^^ is a small section of Syria^ situated on the eastern 
)i^^^isi coast of the Mediterranean. It was^ for many ages, 
the seat of the Jewish empire, but is now under the 
dominion of the Turks. Various names have been 
given to this country at different periods, derived, 
either from the nations occupying it for the time being, 
or from some remarkal^le incident connected with its 
history. The first name assigned to it was — - 

1. THE LAND OF CANAAN, (Lev.xxv.38; Ps. cv. 
11,) from Canaan, the youngest son of Ham and grandson 




c 



10 



NAMES GIVEN TO THE COUNTRY. 



of Noali, who settled here shortly after the dispersion of 
Babel,, and divided the country between his eleven sons, 
each of whom was the head of a numerous tribe or clan, 
and these clans, in the course of time, became powerful 
and warlike nations. (Gen. s. 15 — 19.) It bore this 
title up to the time of its occupation by the Israelites ; 
after which it was called — 

2. THE LAND OF ISEAEL— which comprehended 
aU that tract of country, on both sides the Jordan, which 
God gave for an inheritance to the children of Israel, 
and which included all the provinces, except Egypt, 
that were visited by our Saviour, and, consequently, 
most of the places mentioned in the Gospel narratives. 
This term frequently occurs in the Old Testament, and 
occasionally in the New. (Matt. ii. 20, 21.) 

3. THE LAND OF PROMISE, (Heb. xi. 9,) from 
the promise made to Abraham, that his posterity should 
possess it. (Gen. xii. 7, and xiii. 15.) 

4. THE LAND OF THE HEBREWS, (Gen. xl. 
15,) because for many ages they were the occupiers and 
possessors of it. It was, emphatically, " their own land,^^ 
given to them by an irreversible covenant : and, although 
at present exiled from it — " cut off through unbelief" — 
they still retain a reversionary right in it, and have the 
promise of retaining and recovering possession of it, 
when ^' the time of the Gentiles shall be fulfilled," and 
ih^ term of the curse expire. 

5. THE LAND OF JUDAH. Under this designa- 
tion was at first comprised only that tract of country 
which was allotted by Joshua to the single tribe of 
Judah. (Deut. xxxiv. 2.) It was subsequently applied 
to the whole of Palestine. (Isa. xix. 17; Ruth i. 7.) 
After the secession of the Ten Tribes, that portion of 
the land which belonged to the tribes of Benjamin and 
Judah, or which constituted the kingdom of J udah, was 



NAMES GIVEN TO THE COUNTRY. 



11 



distinguished from tlie territory of Israel, that is, of the 
ten revolted tribes, by the appellation — the land of 
Judah, or Judaea. (Ps. Ixxvi. 1; Jer. xxxix. 10: and 
xliv. 9.) After the Babylonian captivity, the term iigain 
recovered its extended application, denoting the whole 
of the land of Canaan ; and this sense it retained during 
the existence of the second temple and under the 
dominion of the Romans. 

There is another very significant and appropriate 
name, which, from the time of Zechariah to the present 
day, has been given to it by common consent — 

6. THE HOLY LAND. (Zech. ii. 12.) It was pro^ 
bably so termed on account o" the high and holy associa- 
tions connected with its his':ory; as having been the re- 
sidence of the holy patriarchs and prophets, and the seat 
of the true spiiitual worship of Jehovah ; and as having 
been hallowed by the presence, miracles, and ministry 
of the Son of God. But, more especially, the term was 
used in contradistinction from the lands of the Gentiles* 
The ancient Jews divided the whole world into two gene- 
ral parts — the "land of Israel,^^ and the land out of Israel, 
that is, all the countries inhabited by the Gentiles, or 
nations of the world. To this distinction there seems to 
be an allusion in ^klatt. vi. 3.2. All the rest of the world 
and its inhabitants were accounted by the J ews profane, 
•polluted, or unclean;^ but theirs was the Holy Land, and 
they were a holy nation, a peculiar people." The very 
dust of Judsea was supposed by them to possess a superior 
sanctity ; and to such an absurd extent was this notion 
carried, that when returning from a heathen country, 
they stopped at the borders of Palestine, and carefully 
wiped from their feet every particle of the unconsecrated 
dust, lest the Holy Land should be polluted by it ; nor 
would they suffer even herbs or plants to be brought from 

* Compare Isa. sxxt. 8; lii. 1 ; Joel iii, 17 ; Amos vii. 17. 



12 



NAMES GIVEN TO THE COUNTRY. 



the grounds of tlieir Gentile neighbours^ lest, from the 
heathen mould attachiag to them, their land should be de- 
filed. To this notion our Lord evidently alluded (Matt. x. 
14) when he commanded his disciples to " shake off the 
dust from their feet/' on returning from any house or city 
that would not receive them ; thereby intimating, that when 
the Jews had rejected the Gospel, they were no longer to 
be regarded as the people of God, but were on a level with 
heathens and idolaters. It is styled by Hosea — 

7. THE LOHD^S LAND, OR THE LAND OF 
JEHOVAH, (Hos. ix. 3,) and in other places, the land of 
God; intimating, probably, that God was in a special 
manner, the proprietor and ruler of it, and that it was 
a land which above all others he delighted to honour.* 

8. PALESTINE, OE PALESTINA, was a name given 
to this country so early as the time of Moses. t It was de- 
rived from the Philistines, a warlike people who migrated 
from Egypt, and having expelled the aboriginal inhabitants, 
settled themselves in the south-west part of the country, 
on the borders of the Mediterranean. Although they only 
occupied a narrow slip of country on the sea- coast, in the 
course of time they became of sufficient magnitude and 
importance to give their name to the whole of the land of 
Canaan. Palestina signifies the land of the Philistines ; 
and both Josephus and Jerome call the Philistine! — 
Palestini. 

But of all the names given to this country, none is so 
acceptable and endearing to the devout Christian as that 
employed by the prophet Isaiah : — 

9. IMMANUEL'S LAND— (Isa. viii. 8)— the land of 
his birth — the land of his death — the scene of his labours 
and sorrows, of his shame and triumphs — and where he will 
again plant his kingdom, and reign with accumulated glory. 

* See Levit. xxY. 23; 2 Chron. vii. 20 ; Isa. xiv. 25. 
t Exod. XV. 14; Isa. xiv. 29— 3L 



GEOGRAPHICAL BOUNDARIESj. 



13 



B(3UNDARIES. 

The ancient geographers placed the Holy Land i.n the 
rentre of the then known world. It is a small canton in 
the south-west part of Syria, lying between 31° and 33° 30' 
N. latitude, and 35° and 37° E. longitude. In the map it 
presents the appearance of a narrow slip of country, stretch- 
ing itself along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean, be- 
tween that sea and the river Jordan. It is about 160 miles 
in length from Dan to Beersheba, and 50 in width, from 
the Levant to the Jordan. The Jordan formed originally 
and properly the eastern boundary of Canaan ; though to 
three of the tribes, Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, portions 
of territory were assigned beyond that river, and these were 
afterwards very considerably extended by conquest. These 
added territories are, however, to be considered rather as 
accidental and temporary appendages to the Holy Land 
than as integral and essential parts of it. The position 
^nd boundaries of the Promised Land are very correctly 
nd graphically delineated by Moses in the 34th chapter 
of the Book of Numbers. 

" When ye come into the land of Canaan, {this is the 
land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, even the land 
of Canaan, with the coasts thereof) your South Quarter 
shall be from the wilderness of Zin, alone/ by the coast of 
Edom/' or Idumsea. This was its general description. 
The boundary itself is then more definitely traced : " And 
your South Border shall be the utmost coast of the Salt 
Sea eastward or, as described by Joshua, (ch. xv. 2,) 

the south border of the tribe of Judah," (which was at the 
same time the south border of the land of Canaan,) " was 
from the shore of the Salt Sea, from the bay that looJceth 
southward or, by combining both, from the south-east 
corner of the Salt Sea, or Asphaltic Lake. ''And your 



14 



GEOGRAPHICAL BOUNDARIES. 



harder shall turn from the south to the ascent of Akrabhinij*^ 
(or mountains of Accaba^ situated in or near tlie desert of 
Zm, between the soutb -west extremity of the Dead Sea and 
Kadesh-barnea.) ^'Thence it shall pass on to Zin;'\ (a 
place so called, which must have been near the ascent of 
Akrabbim, and from which^ probably^ the desert derived 
its name ;) "and the going forth thereof shall be to Kadesh- 
barnea southward, and it shall go on to Hazar-addar, and 
pass on to Azmon. And the border shall fetch a compass^ 
(form an angle) from Azmon to the river (or torrent) of " 
'Egypt, (the river Sihor,) and the goings out of it shall be 
at the Sea'^ — (the Mediterranean.) This was the southern 
border of the land. "And as for the Western Border, 
ye shall have the Great Sea for a border^' — (i. e. the Medi- 
terranean, called the Great Sea by way of contrast with the 
lesser seas, the Red Sea, the Salt Sea, and the Sea of 
Galilee.) " This shall be your west border. And this shall 
be your North Border ; from the Great Sea, you shall 
point out Mount ,Hor/\ {more covYectlj Hor-ha-hor, ihht iBf 
the mountain of the mountain, or double mountain, meaning 
the double range of Lebanon, which formed the northern 
frontier of Palestine, and in which was the opening or pass 
called the " entrance of Hamath," under Mount Hermon. 
Josh. xiii. 5 j 1 Kings viii. 65.) "From Mount Hor> ye 
^hall point out your border unto the entrance of Hamath ; 
and the goings forth of the border shall be to Zedad. And 
the border shall go on to Ziphron, and the goings out (oi 
termination) of it shall be at Hazar-enan,'^ near Damascus. 
(Ezek. xlviii. 1 .) " This shall be your north border" 
And ye shall point out your East Border /rom Hasar- 
enan to Shephan. And the coast shall go down from She- 
phan to Riblah, on the east side of Ain ; (the " fountain,*' 
or springs of the Jordan ;) and the border shall descend and 
shall reach unto the (east) side of the sea of Chinnereth 
(Sea of Galilee) . And the border shall ao down to Jordan, 



GEOGRi^PHICAL BOUNDARIES. 



15 



(on its eastern side/) and the goings out of it shall he at the 
Salt Sea. This shall be your land, with the coasts thereof 
round about.'' 

In this graphic and admirable chart of the Promised 
Land, the western^ eastern, and northern boundaries may 
be traced, without difficulty. On the west was the Medi- 
terranean or Great Sea; the northern border, passed 
along the base of Mount Hermon ; the eastern border, 
leaving the springs of Jordan to the w^est, passed along the 
eastern shore of the sea of Galilee, the entire length of tiie 
river Jordan, and traversed the eastern shore of the Dead 
Sea, until it met the angle of the southern border at the 
extremity of that sea. The southern border has been 
much perplexed by commentators, and, as clearly shown 
by Mr. Mansford, strangely diverted from its true course. 
It has been carried, by Mr. Horne* and several other 
writers, from the southern shore of the Dead Sea to 
Accaba, or Ezion-geber on the Hed Sea ; and from thence, 
across the deserts of Paran and Shur, to the Pelusiac 
branch of the Nile : thus including the whole of the land 
of Edom, a great part of that of Midian, with the countries 
of the Amalekites, Geshurites, &c. This prodigious ex- 
tension of the frontier, embracing a line above 500 miles 
in length, has arisen from the misplacing of Accaba, and 
the confounding the river, here called " the river of 
Egypt,'' with the Nile. 

'•With respect to Accaba," says Mr. Mansford, '^it 
appears from Buckhardt that there are other places so 
called in Arabia Petrea and Syria ; Accaba, or Akabe 
(signifying va. Kvdhic ascent) being a general term for such 
situations; consequently, no inference can be drawn in 
favour of the ascent of Akrabbim being situated at this 
Accaba in particular. But if it were otherwise, all con- 
clusions derived from etymology, or similitude of terms, 
* See Home's Introduction, vol. iii. pp. 4, 6. 



16 



GEOGRAPHICAL BOUNDARIES. 



must fall before tlie arguments to be adduced on the 
other side. The Israelites had left this Accaba (where 
they were so long entangled before they effected their 
passage to the east of Edom) far behind them ; and it is 
to be remarked that, in this passage, no mention is made 
of any ascent of Akrabbim ; the only places named are 
Elath and Ezion-geber ; and the whole district by which 
the Israelites had to pass round the southern foot of 
Mount Seir, is described in the route, as "the plain of 
Elath and Ezion-geber," and the "way of the Red Sea;" 
no other name occurring in this neighbourhood but Zal- 
monah, the next to which, high up towards the north, is 
Punon. And if it be admitted as probable, that the 
sacred historian, in his very particular description of this 
region, should omit to mention this remarkable ascent of 
Akrabbim, it would be strange indeed if, in the subse- 
quent delineation of the boundary of the land, where pre- 
cision Avas so requisite, and where the most intelligible 
marks would be selected by which to trace its course, the 
well-known places Elath and Ezion-geber should be 
omitted, and this ascent of Akrabbim be introduced. 

But further : J oshua (xv.) gives precisely the same 
boundaries, which Moses assigns to the entire land of 
Israel, to the tribe of Judah, which never possessed a 
single village, or a foot of ground, in either Edom or 
Midian. On the contrary, their whole history declares 
that their territory was bounded by a line drawn from 
the southern end of the Salt Sea to Gaza, making a bend 
in the middle, towards the south-west, to reach Kadesh- 
barnea. The ascent of Akrabbim is, therefore, to be 
sought in that part of its course where the land rises 
from the low country of the desert of Zin to the higher 
level on the west. Precisely in this situation, in the route 
from Hebron to Kerek, Mr. Legh descended a steep and 
dangerous path of two hours into the salt plain on the 



GEOGRAPHICAL BOUNDARIES. 



17 



soutli of the Dead Sea, which forms the northern part of 
the southern Ghor or Desert of Zin; although it did 
not occur to that gentleman^ either that the steep was 
the ascent of Akrabbim^ or that the plain into which he 
was entering was the valley of Salt, and the northern 
part of the Desert of Zin. 

The other circumstance which has led to the geo- 
graphical error here contended against, is the confound- 
ing the river of Egypt with the Nile. The latter, it is 
true, is often called, with reference to Egypt, " the river 
and, by way of eminence, the " river of Egypt — a name 
to which it is well entitled, being, not the principal merely, 
but the only one in that country. But, the river of 
Egypt," so often mentioned in the Old Testament, is 
evidently quite another stream, nearer to Canaan. The 
arguments aheady used may be considered as sufficient 
to prove that the border of J udah could not have extended 
to the Nile ; and, consequently, that this could not be the 
river of Egypt meant by Moses and Joshua. But, if 
any doubt remains, there are other passages which will 
set the question at rest. Joshua, in the same chapter, 
(xv. 21, 47,) enumerates among the ''uttermost cities" 
of the tribe of Judah, "Ashdod, with her towns and 
villages_, Gaza, with her towns and villages, unto the 
river of Egypt, and the Great Sea, and the borders 
thereof." Now, the towns of Gaza did not, as is weU 
known, extend the fiftieth part of the way to Egypt. 
They were bounded in that direction by a stream flowing 
into the Mediterranean, (the brook Sihor,) not far from 
Gaza itself; beyond which, towards Egypt, were the 
countries of the Amalekites, Geshurites, and Gezrites. 
(1 Sam. xxvii. 8.) And in 2 Kings xxiv. 7, it is said, 
"And the king of Egypt came not again any more out 
of his land : for the king of Babylon had taken from 
the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates all that per- 



18 GEOGRAPHICAL BOUNDARIES. 

tained to the king of Egypt that is, all Syria and 
Palestine, to the same stream below Gaza; for Nebu- 
chadnezzar had not at this time been in Egypt. 

It is plain, from these several accounts, that by the 
" river of Egypt is meant the above-mentioned stream 
on the south of Gaza, which formed the boundary of the 
land of Israel on the side of Egypt, which it was neces- 
sary to cross in the route to that country, and which 
hence obtained the name of the river of Egypt/-* 

It is true that in the covenant made with Abraham^, 
(Gen. XV. 18,) the original grant of the Promised Land 
was ''^from the river of Egypt to the river Euphrates.' 
And in 1 Kings iv. 21, and 2 Chron. ix. 26, it is said, 
that Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the river 
(Euphrates) to the land of the Philistines and the border 
of Egypt.'''' But if it be contended that the river of 
Egypt'"' in the fore-cited passage of Genesis be any other 
than the one already shown to be such, or that by the 
"border of Egypt,'' in those of Kings and Chronicles^ is 
intended some other boundary of the land of Israel than 
the one already described, as next towards Egypt, a fol- 
lowing verse in the same chapter of the 1st book of 
Kings, will decide what it is that is meant. In this 
passage, the author of that book, reciting anew the extent 
of Solomon's kingdom, says, "He had dominion over 
all the region on this side the river, (Euphrates,) from 
Tiphsah (Thapsacus) even to Azzah," or Gaza^ the south- 
western limit of his empire. From these reasonings it 
is manifest, that the southern boundary of the land of 
Canaan described an irregular curve from the south-east 
corner of the Asphaltic Lake to the Mediterranean Sea, 
just below Gaza, diverging southwards so as to take in 
the ascent of Akrabbim and Kadesh-barnea. The country 
thus delineated constituted Canaan Proper, or the Land 
of Promise, such as it was when the Israelites went in to 



DIVISION OF THE LAND BY JOSHUA. 19 



possess it, and which was divided among the twelve tribes ; 
not the countries that were acquired four centuries after- 
wards by the conquests of David and Solomon. These 
were held but a short time, were not included in any of 
the tribal possessions, nor were they considered as forming 
an integral part of the Promised Inheritance.* 

DIVISION OF THE LAND BY JOSHUA. 

When Joshua took possession of the country, he divided 
it into twelve sections, or cantons, allotting one to each 
of the twelve tribes. The extent of territory thus dis- 
tributed has been variously estimated ; some writers take 
ing as the basis of their calculations Canaan Proper, as 
above described; and others including the neighbouring 
provinces that were subsequently subdued and appended 
to it. "Confiding in the greater accuracy of Spanheim, 
Reland, and Lowman,^^ says Dr. Russell, "we are inclined 
to compute the Hebrew territory at about fifteen millions 
of square acres: assuming, with these writers, that the 
true boundaries of the Promised Land were. Mount Li- 
banus on the north, the wilderness of Arabia on the south, 
and the Syrian desert on the east. On the west some of 
the tribes extended their possessions to the very waters 
of the Great Sea, though, in other parts, they found their 
boundary restricted by the lands of the Phihstines, whose 
vich domains comprehended the low lands and strong- 
cities which stretched along the shore. It has been 
calculated by Spanheim, that the remotest points of the 
Holy Land, as possessed by King David, were situated at 
the distance of three degrees of latitude, and as many 
degrees of longitude, including in all about 26,000 square 
miles. 

If this computation be correct, there was in the posses - 
* See Mansford's Scrip. Gazetteer, pp. 270, 271, 



20 DIVISION OF THE LAND BY JOSHUA. 

sion of tlie Hebrew chiefs,, land sufficient to allow to 
every Israelite capable of bearing arms^ a lot of about 
twenty acres ; reserving for public uses^ as also for tlie 
cities of tbe Levites, about one-tenth of the whole. It 
is probable, however, that if we make a suitable allow- 
ance for lakes, mountains, and unproductive tracts of 
ground, the portion to every householder would not be 
so large as the estimate now stated. But within the 
limits of one-half of this quantity of land, there were 
ample means for plenty and frugal enjoyment. The 
Roman people^ under Eomulus^ and long after, could 
afford only two acres to every legionary soldier; and, 
in the most flourishing days of the Commonwealth/ the 
allowance did not exceed four. 

Hence the quatuor jugera, or four acres, is an expres- 
sion which proverbially indicated plebeian affluence and 
contentment, — a full remuneration for the toils of war, 
and a sufficient inducement to take up arms in defence 
of the RepubHc/'* 

"The extraordinary fertility of the country,^^ says 
Milman, ^^must be taken into the account. No part 
was waste; very little was occupied with unprofitable 
wood ; the more fertile hills were cultivated in artificial 
terraces ; others were hung with orchards of fruit-trees ; 
the more rocky and barren districts were covered with 
vineyards. Even in the present day, the wars and 
misgovernment of ages have not exhausted the natm'al 
richness of the soil. ' Galilee,^ says Malte Brun, ' would 
be a paradise were it inhabited by an industrious people, 
under an enlightened government.^ No land could be 
less dependent on foreign importation : it bore within 
itself everything that could be necessary for the subsist- 
ence and comfort of a simple agricultural people.^f 

* Palestine, pp. 49 — 51. 

t History of the Jews, yol. 1, p 177. 



DIVISION OF THE LAND BY JOSHUA. 



31 



Such was the land — " a land flowing with milk and 
honey — which was given as an everlasting possession 
to the tribes of Israel. The twelve tribes were disposed 
of in the following order : — Four cantons were located 
in the norths one and a half in the middle, fonr in the 
south, and two and a half east of Jordan. 



NORTH. J MIDDLE. 



ASHER 
NAFHT4LI 
ZEEULUN 
ISSz-iLCHAR 



HALF-TRIBE 
OF 

MANASSEH 
EPHRAIM 



SOUTH. 



DAN 

BENJAMIN 

SIMEON 

JUDAH 



BEYOND JORDAN. 



HALF-TRIBE OF 

MANASSEH 
GAD 

REUBEN. 



TRIBE OE ASHEE.— The province allotted to this 
tribe was a maritime one, stretching along the coast 
from Sidon on the north, to Mount Carmel on the 
south; (Josh. xix. 24 — 29;) being bounded in that 
direction by the tribe of Zebulun, and on the east by 
Naphtali; including the cities of Abdon, Achshaph, 
Accho, Helkath, Achzib, Zarephath, Sidon, and T}rre. 
But of the portion of this territory north of Tyre this tribe 
never became possessed, not being able to expel the 
Phoenician inhabitants. It is said, in allusion to its mari- 
time situation, " Asher continued on the sea-shore, and 
abode in his creeks.''^ (Judges v. 17; Josh. xix. 24 — 31 .) 

TRIBE OF NAPHTALI.— The territory of this 
tribe was skirted by the tribe of Asher on the west, the 
river Jordan eastward, the sea of Galilee and the lands 
of Zebulun on the south, and Mount Lebanon on the 
north. (Josh. xix. 33 — 38.) It contained nineteen 
fenced cities with their villages ; of which the principal 
were, Abel-Beth-Maacah, Harosheth of the Gentiles, 
Kedesh Hazor, Jabneel, Chinnereth, and Chorazin. 

TRIBE OF ZEBULUN.— This tribe was situated to 
the north of Issachar, south of Asher and ISTaphtali, east 



22 



DIVISION OF THE LAND BY JOSHUA. 



of the Levant and west of the Sea of Tiberias. It com- 
prised, among other places, Jokneam, Gitta-hepher, 
Rimmon-methoar, Bethlehem, Cana, and Nazareth. 
(Josh. xix. 10—16.) 

TEIBE OF ISSACHAE.— The precise limits of this 
tribe, especially westward, are involved in some obscurity. 
It appears to have been environed by Zebnlun on the 
north and north-west, by the river Jordan on the east, and 
the Half-tribe of Manasseh on the south and south-west. 
Its principal cities were Aphek, Shunem, Beth-shemesh, 
Jarmuth-ramoth, and Jezreel. (Josh. xix. 17.) , 

HALF-TUIEE OF MANASSEH.— This portion of 
the territory of Manasseh extended from the Mediter- 
ranean to the Jordan ; having Ephraim on its south 
quarter, and Zebulun and Issachar, north and north- 
west j including the cities of Dor, Endor, Bethshan or 
Scythopohs, Dothan, Bezek, and Tirzah. 

TRIBE OF EPHBAIM.— The allotment of Ephraim 
lay south of Manasseh, and north of Dan and Benjamin, 
stretching, east and vv est, from the Jordan to the Grefit 
Sea. Its chief places were Shechem, Samaria, Shiloh, 
Beth-horon, Gezer, and Timnath-Serah. 

TRIBE OF DAN.— The possessions of Dan were of 
small extent; bounded by Ephraim on the north, Simeon 
on the south, the Mediterranean on the v/est, and Benja- 
min and Judah eastward. It embraced Ajalon, Tim- 
nath, Gibbethon, Zorah, Gath-rimmon, and Eshtaol. 

TRIBE OF BENJAMIN.— This section adjoined 
Ephraim on the north, Judah on the south, Dan on the 
west, and the waters of Jordan washed it on the east. 
Within its precincts were Hai, Bethel, Gibeon, Jericho, 
Gilgal, Mizpeh, Anathoth, and Jerusalem. 

TRIBE OF SIMEON.— This was the most south- 
ernly of all the tribes ; bounded on the north by the terri- 
tory of Dan, on the cast by Judah, on the south by the 



DIVISION OF THE LAND BY JOSHUA. 28 



wilderness of Shur^ and on the west by the Levant. Its 
principal places were Ain^ Zikiag^ Hormali, and Beer- 

slieba. 

TEIBE OF JUDAH.— This canton was situated 
south of the tribe of Benjamin, north of Idumsea? 
having Dan and Simeon on the west, and the Dead Sea 
eastward. The most celebrated cities of Jndah were 
Azekah, Makkedah, Libnah, Aduilam, Tekoah, Debir or 
Kirjath-sepher, Bethlehem, and Hebron. 

TRIBES BEYOND JORDAN. 

HALF-TRIBB OF MANASSEH : was bounded on 
the north and north-east by Mount Hermon, on the east 
by the mountains of Gilead, on the south by the tribe of 
Gad, and on the west by the river Jordan and the Lake of 
Tiberias. It contained few places of note besides Geshur, 
Ashtaroth-carnaim, and Jabesh-gilead. 

TRIBE OF GAD.—This division lay between the 
Half-tribe of Manasseh and the tribe of Reuben ; the 
country of the Ammonites bounded it on the east, and 
the river Jordan on the west. Its chief places were 
Mahanaim, Penuel, Succoth, Ramoth-Grilead, Rabbath- 
ammon, Debir, and Jazer. 

TRIBE OF REUBEN.— The boundaries of this 
tribe were Gad on the north, the river Arnon on the 
east and south, and the Jordan and Dead Sea on the 
west. It comprised, among other important places, 
Heshbon, Beth-peor, Ashdoth-pisgah, Jahaza, Medeba, 
Mephaath, Kedemoth, Midian, and Bezer, or Bozra.* 

In this distribution of the land, the tribe of Levi 
was excepted ; and instead of a portion of land, there 
were given to it the priesthood and its emoluments, 

* See Home's Introduction, \ol. iii, pp. 9 — 13 ; Applegate's Sacred 
Geography and History, pp. 44—62 ; Ransom's Biblical Topography, 
pp. 236—277, 



24 



EXTENSION OF THE EMPIRE. 



together with cities for their residence^ and pasturage 
for their cattle, in the midst of some of the other 
tribes. The number of aliotments_, however, was still 
twelve ; the two sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Ma- 
nasseh, having been adopted by Jacob instead of their 
father, their descendants constituted two distinct tribes, 
and received their allotments accordingly. 

EXTENSION OF THE EMPIRE BY DAVID 
AND SOLOMON. 

By the conquests of David and Solomon, the Hebrew 
empire received considerable accessions. It was stipu- 
lated in the covenant God made with Abraham, (Gen. 
sv. 18,) that his seed should possess the land from the 
river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates.'^ 
This promise received its full accomplishment in the 
days of Solomon, who reigned over all kingdoms from 
the river, (Euphrates, the eastern boundary of his 
dominions,) unto the land of the Philistines, (its western 
limit,) and to the border of Egypt,^^ (the river Sihor, 
which bounded it on the south. 1 Kings iv. 21.) His 
dominion extended over all the region west of the 
Euphrates, from Tiphsah (Thapsacus, situated on that 
river,) even unto Azzah," or Gaza. (1 Kings iv. 24.) 

"Tadmor in the wilderness,^^ (Palmyra,) which that 
monarch is stated to have built, that is, either founded 
or fortified, is considerably to the north-east of Damas- 
cus, being only one day^s journey from the Euphrates ; 
and Hamath, (the Epiphania of the Greeks, now called 
Hamah,) in the territory belonging to which Solomon 
had several store cities,-'-' (2 Chron. viii. 4,) is seated 
on the Orontes, in latitude 34° 45' north. On the east 
and south-east, the kingdom of Solomon was extended 
by the conquest and acquisition of the countries of 



BY DAVID AND SOLOMON. 



25 



Moao, Ammon, and Edom ; and tracts, which were either 
inhabited or pastured by the IsraeHtes, lay still farther 
eastward. MaoUj which belonged to the tribe of Judah, 
and was situated in or near the desert of Paran, (Josh. xv. 
55,) is described by Abulfeda as the farthest city of Syria 
towards Arabia, being two days^ journey beyond Zoar. 
The whole of this vast territory, in the time of Solomon, 
was attached to the Hebrew empire, and under the wise 
administration of that m arch enjoyed a degree of pros- 
perity which has few par; ?ls in the history of nations. 

The great and growir extent of country over which 
Solomon reigned, preciucimg the possibility of a personal 
administration, required some provision to be made for the 
more speedy and effective dispensation of justice, and the 
collection of the public revenue. The Philistines^ the 
Phoenicians, the Edomites^ Moabites, and Ammonites, the 
Nomadic Arabs of the Desert and the Syrians of Damascus, 
weTe all tributary to him. They acknowledged fealty to 
the Hebrew crown by the payment of an annual tribute. 
Solomon, therefore, divided his dominions into twelve 
districts, or presidencies, and placed them under the 
supervision of twelve officers, who were required to super- 
intend the collection of the tribute, as also the taxes levied 
on the twelve tribes, and transmit them to the royal 
exchequer ; this honour being conferred on each presidency 
one month in every year. These provinces, together with ^ 
the names, of their respective presidents, are enumerated in 
1 Kings iv. 7—19. 



E 



26 



TERRITORIES OF JUDAH AND ISRAEL. 



TERRITORIES OF JUDAH AND ISRAEL. 

A partition of the empire took place in the time of 
Kehoboam, the son of Solomon^ on whose accession to 
the throne ten of the tribes revolted under Jeroboam. 
I'his occasioned a disruption of the ancient empire,, and 
led to the formation of two distinct and independent 
' dngdoms : that of Israel^ consisting of the ten revolted 
tribes, which was planted in the central and northern 
parts of Palestine ; and that of Judah, consisting of the 
tribes of Judah and Benjamin, who preserved theii 
allegiance to the family of David. This kingdom com- 
prised all the southern parts of Palestine, including the 
allotments of those two tribes, and also so much of the 
territory of Dan and Simeon as was intermixed with 
that of Judah. This division of the land continued till 
the subversion of the kingdom of Israel by Shalmaneser, 
king of Assyria, after it had lasted 254 years. 

PROVINCIAL DIVISIONS BY THE ROMANS. 

The next partition of Palestine was effected by the 
Romans. In the time of Jesus Christ, it was divided 
into five separate provinces; viz. Galilee, Samaria, and 
Judsea, west of Jordan; and Persea and Idumsea, east 
of that river. 

I. GALILEE. — This portion of the Holy Land com- 
prised the region formerly occupied by the tribes of 
[ssachar, Naphtali, Zebulun, and Asher. It was sub- 
divided into Upper and Lower Galilee. 

Upper Galilee — was so called from its elevated 
position, being exceedingly mountainous. It was some- 
times described as the "Coasts of Tyi'e and Sidon/' 



PROVINCIAL DIVISIONS BY THE ROMANS. 27 

(Mark vii. 31J from its proximity to those cities; aud^ 
from the number of Phoenicians^ Syrians, Arabs, &c._, 
by which it was populated, it was called ^''Galilee of 
the Gentiles/^ or nations. (Isa. ix. 1; Matt. iv. 15.) 
The principal city was C^sarea Philippi, through whicJi 
lay the main road to Damascus, Tyre, and Sidon. It 
had Mount Lebanon, with the province of Tyre and 
Sidon, on the north ; the Mediterranean on the west ; 
Abilene, Iturea, and the region of the Decapolis east- 
ward; and Lower Galilee on the south. 

Lower Galilee — was situated in a rich and fertile 
plain between the Mediterranean and the Lake of 
Tiberias, thence called the Sea of Galilee ; having 
Upper Galilee on the north, and Samaria on the south. 
According to Josephus this region was very populous, 
containing upwards of two hundred cities and towns ; 
the principal of which were Tiberias, Chorazin, Beth- 
saida, Nazareth, Cana, Capernaum, Nain, Csesarea of 
Palestine, and Ptolemais. This region was the scene 
of the greater part of our Lord^s personal ministry, 
and was most honoured of any with his presence. 
Hither Joseph and Mary came with him on their 
return from Egypt, and here he resided till his bap- 
tism. (Matt. ii. 23; Luke ii. 39—52; Matt. iii. 13; 
Luke iii. 21.) Hither he returned after his baptism 
and temptation; (Luke iv. 14;) here he commenced _ 
his public ministry ; and, although in prosecuting the 
benevolent object of his mission, he often visited other 
provinces, yet so frequently was Galilee favoured with 
his presence and labours, that he was popularly styled 
a Galilean. (Matt. xxvi. 69.) To this province our 
Lord commanded his disciples to come and converse 
with him after his resurrection ; (Matt, xxviii. 7 — 16 ;) 
and of this country most, if not the whole, of the 



28 PROVINCIAL DIVISIONS BY THK ROMANS. 



apostles were natives ; whence they were addressed by 
the angels as men of Galilee." (Acts i. 11.) 

From tbeir frequent interconrse with the Syrians 
of Damascus and the neighbouring country, the Gali- 
leans spoke a corrupt dialect of the Syriac."^ This led 
to the detection of Peter as one of the followers of 
Jesus. (Mark xiv. 70.) The Galileans are described 
by Josephns as a turbulent and rebellious people, 
ready, on every occasion, to disturb the Koman autho- 
rity, and as having been particularly forward in an 
insurrection against Pilate himself ; who, in conse- 
quence, proceeded to a summary mode of punishment, 
causing a party of them to be treacherously slain, 
during one of the great festivals, while offering their 
sacrifices in the temple at Jerusalem. This incident 
explains the expression in Luke xiii. 1, whose blood 
Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.^' And the pro- 
verbial character of this people for turbulence explains 
the abrupt question of Pilate — Luke xxiii. 6. Our 
Lord was accused of seditious practices, and of exciting 
the people to revolt j when, therefore, it was stated, 
among other things, that he had been in Galilee, Pilate 
caught at the observation, and enquired if he were a 

* Dr. Lightfoot has given several instances in Hebrew and English, 
some of which are very amusing. One of these is as follows : — A 
certain woman intended to say to the judge, "My Lord, I had a 
picture which they stole ; and it ivas so great, that if you had been 
placed in it, your feet would not have touched the ground." But she 
60 spoiled it by her provincial dialect, that, as the glosser interprets it, 
her words had this sense : "Sir, slave, I had a beam, and they stole 
thee away ; and it was so great, that if they had hung thee on it, thy 
feet would not have touched the ground." Lightfoot's Chorographlcal 
Century of the Land of Israel, cap. 87. 

See additional examples in Buxtorf's Lexicon Chaldaicum, Talmud- 
icum et Rabbinicum, p. 434. 



PROVINCIAL DIVISIONS BY THE ROMANS. 



29 



Galilean ; having been prejudiced against the inha- 
bitants of that district by their frequent commotions, 
and being, on this account, the more ready to receive 
any charge that might be brought against any one of 
that obnoxious community. 

II. SAMARIA. — This province took its name from 
the city of Samaria, the capital city of the kings of 
Israel. It included the tract of conntry originally 
occupied by the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh west 
of Jordan, and was enclosed by Lower Galilee on the 
north, and Judssa on the south ; so that persons taking 
the direct route from Judsea to Galilee, '^must needs 
go through Samaria." (John iv. 4.) The chief places 
of this district, noticed in Scripture, are Samaria, 
Enon, Salem, Saron, Sichem or Shechem, and Anti- 
patris. 

III. JUDj^EA. — This was the most southern, and, 
at the same time, the most distinguished district in 
Palestine; embracing the territories assigned to the 
tribes of Judah, Benjamin, Simeon, and part of the 
tribe of Dan ; being nearly coextensive with the ancient 
kingdom of Judah. Its metropolis was Jerusalem, 
and of the other towns and villages situated in this 
region, the most prominent were Arimathea, Azotus 
or Ashdod, Bethany, Bethlehem, Bethpage, Emmaus, 
Ephraim, Gaza, Jericho, Joppa, Lydda or Lod, and 
Rama. 

EAST OE JORDAN. 

IV. PERiEA. — The district of Persea was subdivided 
into six cantons ; to which some geographers have added 
a seventh, viz., the region of the Decapolis. 

1. Abilene. — This district is supposed to have 
been situated between the mountains of Libanus and 



30 PROVINCIAL DIVISIONS BY THE ROMANS. 

Anti-Libanus^ near the river Leontes ; though its posi- 
tion and limits cannot be ascertained with precision. 
It derived its name from the city Abila or Abela, and 
is said to have been within the limits of the tribe of 
Np.pthali, though it was never subdued by them. 

^^From its being mentioned (Luke iii. 1) in con- 
nexion with Galilee^ Itur^a^ and Trachonitis, it proba- 
bly lay in the neighbourhood of these districts ; — a 
conjecture which is confirmed by the statement of 
JosephuSj that Abila of Lysanias lay contiguous to 
Lebanon. In the same district, at the eastern decli- 
vity of Lebanon, Ptolemy fixes the Abila of Lysanias, 
18 miles N.W. of Damascus, and 38 S. of Heliopolis, 
or Baalbec. In 1737, Pococke found in this quarter, 
a high and steep mountain, on the summit of which 
was a decayed church, with the ruins of an ancient 
temple. The inliabitants of the country called the 
place NeM Abel, (that is, the prophet Abel,) and be- 
lieved that Cain buried his brother Abel here. The 
origin of this tradition may doubtless be traced to the 
confounding of the true name of the ancient town 
Abel, (which signifies a grassy plain,) with the name 
of Cain^s murdered brother, which in the Hebrew, 
is sounded Hebel. In the inner wa-U of the above- 
mentioned church, this traveller discovered a stone 
about four feet broad and three feet high, with a Greek 
inscription; but a piece of it having been broken off, 
the ending of the lines is lost. 'This inscription in 
verse,' says Pococke, ^ appears to have been made in 
honour of the architect. It runs in the first person, 
and begins with the date; it then mentions Lysanias, 
tetrarch of Abilene, and intimates, in the last line, that 
a lady, named Eusebia, had caused these pillars to be 
erected. This inscription confirms the opinion that 
Abila lay in the neighbourhood. It was, without doubt. 



PROVINCIAL DIVISIONS BY THE ROMANS. 31 

the cliief town of the tetrarchate of Abilene, which 
is said (Luke iii. 1) to have been under the government 
of Lysanias. Opposite these ruins, m the valley on 
the north side of the river Barady, I saw two columns 
with their entablature, which appear to be the remains 
of the portico of a considerable building, large stones 
beii)g scattered here and there on the ground beside 
them. I conjecture that Abila stood here, and per- 
haps lay on both sides of the river/ When the Eomans 
made themselves masters of Western Asia, this district 
also became subject to them ; and the Tetrarchs, who 
had probably attained to independence, towards the 
close of the Syrian dominion, were established as their 
vassals.^'* 

This province appears to have been at one time 
governed by Lysanias, the son of Ptolemy, king of 
Chalcis, who, at the instigation of Cleopatra, was put 
to death by Anthony, on a false accusation of having 
assisted the Parthians. It was subsequently farmed 
out to one Zenodorus ; who, having associated himself 
with a lawless banditti, whose strongholds were in the 
rocky fastnesses of Trachonitis, invaded and pillaged 
the neighbouring country. They were, at length, ex- 
tirpated by Herod the Great, who, for this service, had 
the territories of Zenodorus added to his own. 

At the death of Herod, his kingdom was divided into 
three separate tetrarchies between his sons; Abilene 
was probably annexed to that of Philip. But the 
greater part of this territory, with the city of Abila, 
was afterwards bestowed on another Lysanias (proba- 
bly a descendant of the former), with the title of Te- 
trarch. The Emperor Claudius afterwards made a 
present of this district to King Agrippa. 

2. Trachonitis : a Greek name, implying a rough 

« Rosenmuller, Bib. Cabinet, No, 17, pp. 229—231 



32 PROVINCIAL DIVISIONS BY THE ROMANS. 

and difficult country. The region thus designated 
lay to the south of Damascus^ having the branches of 
Lebanon also on the north and west, Arabia Deserta 
on the east, and stretching southward nearly to the 
city of Bostra. It derived its name from two moun- 
tains, or rather mountain-ranges, called Trachones. It 
was an exceedingly rocky and sterile region, and the 
strong and almost inaccessible fastnesses with which 
it abounded afforded shelter to numerous hordes of 
robbers, who infested and plundered the neighbouring 
country. These marauders were at one time in league 
with Zenodorus, the governor of the district, who, by 
the command of Augustus, was expelled for his pre- 
datory practices. Hence it is styled by Josephus 
Domus Zenodori (the house or jurisdiction of Zenodorusj. 
The rocky country described by Burckhardt, on the 
south of Damascus, called El Ledja, corresponds in a 
remarkable manner with Trachonitis as described by 
Josephus and Strabo. 

3. Itur^a : so called from Itur or Jetur, one of the 
sons of Ishmael, (1 Chron. i. 31,) who settled here, but 
whose posterity were either driven out or subdued by 
the Amorites. It is supposed to have formed part 
of the ancient kingdom of Bashan, and, subsequently, 
of the HaK- tribe of Manasseh: but, as it lay beyond 
the southern spur of Mount Hermon, this is doubtful. 
It was situate on the north-east of the land of Israel, 
between it and the territory of Damascus, or Syria, and 
is supposed to be the same country at present known 
by the name of Djedour, on the east of the Djebel 
Heish, between Damascus and the Sea of Galilee. 
Itursea is included by some in the district of Tra- 
chonitis; by others, in that of Auranitis; and it is 
extremely difficult to delineate its exact boundaries, 
this region still exhibits vestiges of its former fertinty. 



PROTINCIAL DIVISIONS BY THE ROMANS. 



S3 



and is beautifully vroodecl aiad picturesque. The Iturseans 
are said to have been skilful archers and dexterous robbers. 

4. Gaulonitis : a tract of country on the cast of Jordan^ 
extending, according to Josephus, from the confluence ot 
that river with the Sea of Tiberias to its head, or even to 
the extremity of Palestine. It took its name from Gaulon 
or Golan, the city of Og king of Bashan. (Josh. xx. 8.) 
The region of Gaulonitis vras subdivided into Upper and 
Lower; in the former were the cities of Sogane and Se- 
leucia ; and in the latter, Gamala, the ruins of which that 
still remain prove that it must have been a place of consi- 
derable importance, and well fitted to make the obsiinate 
resistance it did to the arms of the all-conquering Eomans. 

5. Batax^a : the same, or nearly so, with the ancient 
kingdom of Bashan. It was bounded on the north by the 
mountains of Hermon, by the river Jabbok on the south, 
and westward by the river Jordan and Sea of Tiberias. 
Part of this region is still called El Bottein j it afi'ords the 
finest pasturage, and is everywhere beautifully shaded with 
groves of noble oaks and pistachio trees. At the death of 
Herod the Great, Batansea was given to Herod Antipas, 
on whose banishment for treasonable practices, it was be- 
stowed on Herod Agrippa. 

6. Per^a : in its restricted sense, comprised the 
southern part of the country beyond Jordan, extending 
from the Jabbok, (the southern boundary of Batansea,) to 
the river Arnon. Its limits are thus described by Josephus : 

The length of PerEea is, from ^Machserus to Pella ; and its 
breadth, from Philadelphia to Jordan ; its northern parts 
are bounded by Pella, and its western by Jordan ; the land 
of Moab is its southern border, and its eastern limits reach 
to Arabia and Silbronitis, and besides to Philadelphia and 
Gerasis.*^ * This district belonged originally to the Am- 

* Wars of the Jews, book iii. cap. 3, sect. 3. 



34 PROVINCIAL DIVISIONS BY THE ROMANS. 

monites^ but tlie Hebrews wrested it from them ou tbeir 
passage from Egypt to Canaan. It was anciently called 
Gilead^ but at present El Belka. Its principal places were 
Bethabara, and tbe strong fortress of Machserus^ erected 
for the purpose of checking the predatory incursions of the 
Arabs^ and memorable as the place where John the Baptist 
was beheaded. 

/. Decapolis^ or the Country of Ten Cities. This is 
considered; by Keland and other eminent authorities, as 
part of the region of Persea. According to Josephus, the 
Ten Cities were, Damascus, Otopos, Philadelphia, Baphana, 
Gadara, Hippos, Dios, Pella, Gerasa, and Scythopolis, or 
Bethshan, the capital of the district. These cities con- 
federated together, and maintained their independence 
during the time of the Asmonsean princes, who governed 
Judaea from the time of Antiochus Epiphanes to that of 
Herod. 

V. IDUMiEA. The provmce thus designated must not 
be confounded with the Idumaea, or Edom, of the Old 
Testament, which lay to the south of Judaea, and extended 
from the Lake of Sodom to the Elanitic Gulf of the Red 
Sea, and which was afterwards called Arabia Petrea. In 
a sedition which arose among the inhabitants of this 
country, during the Babylonish captivity, while the land 
of Judsea lay desolate, a party of them went off, and took 
possession of as much of the south-western part of it as 
had constituted the whole of the tribe of Simeon, and half 
of the tribe of Judah; and this part of the land of Judaea, 
together with part of Arabia lying contiguous to it, con- 
stituted the canton of Palestine that was afterwards desig- 
nated Idumaea. The capital of this country was Hebron, 
which had formerly been the metropolis of the tribe of 
Judah. The Idumseans, being subdued by the pov>^erful 
arms of the Maccabees, under John Hyrcanus, were com- 
pelled to embrace Judaism, and their territory became in* 



LATTEK DIVISION BY THE ROMAXS. 



33 



oorporated with Judcea ; tliough. it still retained the ap- 
pellation G'f'IdumEea in the time of our SaTiour^ and^ indeed, 
for a considerable subsequent period.* Ultimately^ the 
Idumaeans intermingled ^vith the Ishmaelites ; and the two 
people thus blended were called Nabathseans, from Ne- 
baioth, a sou of Ishmael. 

LATER DIVISION BY THE ROMANS. 

About the commencement of the fifth century, the 
country was again divided by the Romans into three 
general districts, or provinces. 

I. PALESTINA PRIMA ; which comprised the former 
districts of Judaea and Samaria. It contained thirty-five 
episcopal cities, and its metropolis was Csesarea Palestina. 
In this division were Jerusalem and Sychar or Neopohs. 

II. PALESTINA SECUNDA ; which consisted of the 
provinces of Galilee and Trachonitis, Its capital was 
Scythopolis, or Bethshan, and it contained twenty-one 
episcopal cities. 

III. PALESTINA TERTIA ; which included ancient 
Peraea and Idumsea. Its metropolis was Petra, and it 
contained eighteen episcopal cities ; but most of these 
bishoprics were destroyed in the seventh century, when 
Palestine was overrun and conquered by the Saracens. - 

MODERN DIVISION UNDER THE 
TURKISH GOVERNMENT. 

At the present time Palestine does not form a distinct 
country. The Turks include it in Sham, or Syria ; and 
have di^ributbd it into pachaliks ; that of Acre, or Akka, 

* Mark iii, 8. Prideaux's Connexions, toI. i. pp. 34, 35; vol. iiu 
pp. 267, 404. 



36 



MODERN DIVISION, ETC. 



extends from Djebail nearly to Jaffa ; tliat of Gaza, coni- 
preliends Jaffa and the plains adjacent: and these two 
being now united, all the coast is under the jurisdiction of 
the pacha of Acre. Jerusalem, Hebron, Nablous, Tiberias, 
and, in fact, the greater part of Palestine, are included in 
the pachalik of Damascus, now held in conjunction with 
that of Aleppo, which renders the present pacha, in effect, 
viceroy of Syria. Though both pachas continue to be 
dutiful subjects to the Grand Seignior in appearance, and 
annually transmit considerable sums to Constantinople to 
insure the yearly renewal of their office, they are to be con- 
sidered as tributaries, rather than subjects of the Porte ; 
and it is supposed to be the religious supremacy of the 
Sultan, as caliph and vicar of Mohammed, more than any 
apprehension of his power, which prevents them from de- 
claring themselves independent. The reverence shown for 
the firmauns of the Porte throughout Syria, attests the 
strong hold which the Sultan maintains, in this character, 
on the Turkish population. The pachas of Egypt and 
Bagdad are attached to the Turkish sovereign by the same 
ecclesiastical tie. Indeed, it is this mystic bond which 
alone has kept this ill-compacted and feeble empire from 
crumbling to ruins. Recent events, however, have shown 
that this tie is by no means indissoluble ; that a blind and 
slavish superstition is insufficient to check the workings of 
ambition, or repress the sense of inherent power. And, in 
all probability, the time is not very remote when, by a re- 
volution, the elements of which are daily gathering strength, 
this interesting country shall be rescued from the iron 
despotism under which it has groaned for ages, and again 
recover its position as an independent and happy nation. 
The political throes and heavings that now agitate the 
eastern hemisphere are symptomatic of some mighty con- 
vulsion. They may be regarded as the " shadows which 
coming events cast before them.'^ 



CHAPTER II. 



PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. 

General Aspect of the Country — Climate— Seasons — Itauns — Dews, 
and other x^tmospheric Phenomena — Local Calamities : Plague — Earth- 
quakes — Tornado — Devastations of the Locusts — Famine— Simoom, 
or Pestilential Blast of the Desert. 

GENERAL ASPECT OF THE COUNTRY. 

Palestine is beautifully diversified with hills and plains 
— hills now barren and gloomy, but once cultivated to 
their summits and smiling in the variety of their produce, 
chiefly the olive and the vine ; and plains over which the 
Bedouin now roves to collect a scanty herbage for his 
cattle, but once yielding an abundance of which the inha- 
bitants of a northern climate can form no adequate con- 
ception. Rich in its soil ; boundless in its capabilities of 
production ; glowing in the sunshine of an almost perpe- 
tual summer ; its plains watered by the " early and latter 
rain/^ and its mountains refreshed by the nightly dev/s ; its 
majestic forests covered with the cedars of Lebanon and 
the oaks of Bashan ; its very rocks crowned with planta- 
tions of figs and vines ; the graceful olive-tree waving on 
its hills ; and abounding in scenery at once bold and beau- 
tiful, picturesque and sublime ; this enchanting land was 
indeed, what the Patriarch described it, — a field which 
the Lord hath blessed ; God hath given it of the dew of 



38 



GENERAL ASPECT OF THE COUNTRY. 



heaven and the fatness of earth, and plenty of corn and 
wine.'^ 

But Mohammedan sloth and despotism, as the instru- 
ments employed to execute the curse of heaven, have 
converted it into a waste of rock and desert, with the 
exception of some few spots which remain, according to 
prophecy, (Isa. xxiv. 13, and xvii. 4 — 6,) to attest the 
veracity of the accounts formerly given of it. The hills 
of Judsea frequently rise into mountains, the most con- 
siderable of which are those of Lebanon and Hermon. 
Those which surround the Sea of Galilee and the Dead 
Sea also attain a respectable elevation. The other 
mountains of note are, Carmel, Tabor, Ebal, and Geri- 
zim, and the mountains of Gilboa, Gilead, and Abarim, 
with the summits of the latter — Nebo and Pisgah ; a de- 
scription of which will be given under their respective 
heads. Many of the hills and rocks abound in caverns ; 
as those of Adullam, Engedi, &c.; and the valleys are 
irrigated by brooks, rivulets and fountains. "A better 
country than this," says an elegant writer, earth did not 
contain. It was ' a delightsome,^ and ^ a pleasant land 
' a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations.' It was varie- 
gated and intersected with all the elements of sublimity 
and beauty — with whatever was bold and gentle. It -w as 
prolific without a miracle, and the subject of a periodical 
one. It was a wealthy place. Aromatic herbs covered 
its hills, and the fairest flowers decked its glens. The 
rose was in Sharon, and the lily in the valleys. The voice 
of the turtle was heard in the land. There roamed the 
vine, and there clustered the date, and there hung the 
pomegranate. The cedar towered on the mountains, and 
the myrtle skirted their sides. No human hand could 
raise the clusters of Eschol. The south wind, passing over 
the gardens, caused the spices thereof to flow out. The 
seasons revolved in their var'ietv, but with a blended 



GENERAL ASPECT OF THE COUNTRY. 



39 



sweetness. There was the upland breeze^ in which the 
fir could wave its arms ; and the softer air^ in which the 
olive unfolded its blossom. The sun smote not by day, 
nor the moon by night; the birds sang among the 
branches ; the dew lay thick in Hermon. There was balm 
in Gilead. The lign-aloe drooped from the river-bank. 
Kedron and Jordan poured forth their streams, the rain 
also filled the pools. Lakes glistened in the landscape, 
and cooled the drought. Beautiful for situation was 
Mount Zion. The cattle browsed on a thousand hills. 
The ^ excellency of Carmel/ and the ' glory of Lebanon' 
set their pinnacles against the deep azure of Canaan^s sky. 
The year was crowned with goodness. The Lord God 
cared for that land, and his eye was always upon it. At 
the stated periods fell the ^ early and latter rain.^ The 
pastures were clothed with flocks. The ploughman over- 
took the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that sowed 
the seed. The barns were filled with plenty, and the press 
burst out with new wine. The little hills rejoiced on 
every side. Precious fruits were brought forth by the 
sun, and precious things were put forth by the moon. 
The earliest pass, the valley of Achor, was a door of hope. 
The vineyards distilled the pure blood of the grape. The 
fountain of Jacob was upon a land of corn and wine. 
The inhabitants were filled with the finest of the wheat. 
It flowed with milk and honey. Its heavens dropped 
fatness. It was surrounded with munitions of rock. 
The deep, crouching beneath, spread its sure defence. 
The land might be called Beulah. The distant glimpse 
of its prospect refreshed the dying eye of Moses ; and 
of all thine earthly territory, this is emphatically ^ thy 
land, O Immanuel.'^^* 

" All that can delight the eye, and feed the imagina- 
tion," says another writer, ^' is lavished over its surface. 

* Hamilton's Sermons. 



40 



GENERAL ASPECT OF THE COUNTRY. 



The lovers of scenery can find there every form and 
variety of landscape; the snowy heights of Lebanon, 
with its cedars — the valley of the Jordan — the moun- 
tains of Carmel, Tabor, and Hermon — and the waters 
of Galilee, are as beautiful as in the days when David 
sang their praise, and far more interesting by the ac- 
cumulation of reminiscences. The land, unbroken by the 
toils of the husbandman_^ yet enjoys her sabbaths ; but 
Eshcol, Bashan, Sharon, and Gilead, are still there, and 
await but the appointed hour to sustain their millions; 
to flow, as of old, with milk and honey ; to become once 
more a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths, 
that spring out of valleys and hills ; a land of wheat and 
barley, and vines, and fig-trees, and of pomegranates, 
and of oil-olive ; and to reassume their rightful titles, — 
^ihe garden of the Lord,^ and the ^ glory of ail lands/ 
Yv^hat numberless recollections are crowded upon every 
footstep of the sacred soil ! Since the battle of the five 
kings against four, (Gen. xiv. 1,) nearly 2000 years be- 
fore the time of our Saviour, until the wars of Napoleon, 
1800 years after it, this narrow but wonderful region has 
never ceased to be the stage of remarkable events. If, 
for the sake of brevity, we omit the enumeration of spots 
signalized by the exploits of the children of Israel, to 
which, however, the traveller may be guided by Holy 
Writ, with all the minuteness and accuracy of a road- 
book, we shall yet be engaged by the scenes of many 
brilliant and romantic achievements of the ancient and 
modern world. Take the plain of Esdraelon alone, the 
ancient valley of J ezreel, — a scanty spot of twenty-five 
miles long, and varying from six to fourteen in its 
breadth, — yet more recollections are called up here than 
would suffice for the annals of many nations. Here, by 
the banks of that ancient river, the river Kishon, ' the 
stars in their courses fought against Sisera,' the object of 



CLIMATE. 



41 



the immortal song of Deborah and Barak; and here too is 
Megiddo, signalised by the death of ' the good Josiah.' 
Each year, in a long succession of time, brought fresh 
events; the armies of Antiochus and of Rome, Egyp- 
tians, Persians, Turks, and Arabs, the fury of the 
Saracens, and the mistaken piety of the Crusaders, have 
found, in their turn, the land ^ as the garden of Eden 
before them, and have left it a desolate vi^ilderness/ Nor 
did it escape the ferocious gripe of the revolutionary war. 
The arch-destroyer of mankind sent his armies thither, 
under the command of General Kleber, and, in 1799, gave 
the last memorial of blood to these devoted plains. 

But how small and transitory are all such reminiscences 
to those which must rivet the attention and feelings of the 
pious believer. If Johnson could regard that man as little 
to be envied who could stand unmoved on lona or Mara-- 
thon, or any spot dignified by wisdom, virtue, or bravery, 
what must we say of one who cared not to tread Mount 
Zion or Calvary, or could behold, with unmoistened eye,-— 

« the holy fields, 
Over whose acres walked those hlessed feet, 
"Which, eighteen hundred years ago, were nailed 
For our advantage, to the bitter cross.' " * 

CLIMATE. 

Generally speaking, the climate of Palestine, from 
its southern latitude, is mild and salubrious. In winter, 
the cold is sometimes more severe than in European 
climates situated some degrees farther to the north; 
but the winter is of short duration, and the general 
character of the climate is that of heat. Both heat 
and cold are, however, tempered by the varieties of 
the surface. In the valleys, the coldness of winter is 
scarcely felt ; while in summer, the air is sultry and 

* Quarterly Review, Number CXXV. 



42 



CLIMATE. 



o pressive. On tlie contrary, in the more ele^ ated parts, 
on the tops of the lofty mountains, during the winter 
months_, or rather winter weeks, frosts occur, and snow 
sometimes falls ; while, as a set-off against this incon- 
venience, in summer 'time, the air, in these mountainous 
regions, is delightfully cool, refreshing, and salubrious. 

In the hilly tract from Tripoli to Sidon, the country 
is much colder than the rest of the coast, both to the 
north and south, and its seasons are less regular. The 
same remark apphes to the mountainous parts of 
Judeea, where the vegetable productions are much later 
than on the sea-coast, or in the vicinity of Gaza. From 
its lofty situation, the air of Saphet in Galilee is so 
fresh and cool, that the heats of summer are seldom 
inconveniently felt there : though, in the neighboming 
country, particularly at the foot of Mount Tabor and 
in the plains of Jericho, the heat is almost insupport- 
able. IMany winters pass in Palestine without either 
frost or snow ; (except on the tops of the highest moun- 
tains j) and in the coldest seasons that ever occur, the 
sun, in the middle of the day, is generally warm, and 
often hot; so that the pain of cold is in reahty but 
little felt, and the poor who cannot afford fires, may 
enjoy, during several hours of the day, the more genial 
and invigorating influence of the sun. This is the 
ordinary character of the winters, though it admits of 
exception. Towards the end of November, or the 
beginning of December, domestic fires become agree- 
able. It was at this time that Jehoiakim, king of 
Judah, is represented by Jeremiah as sitting in his 
winter-house, with a fire burning on the hearth before 
him. (Jer. xxxvi. 23.)* 

* See Harmer's Observations, toI. i. pp. 2 — 4 ; h'l — 65 ; Game's 
Letters from the East, p. 585 ; Capt. Light's Travels, p. 20 ; Emerson's 
Letters from the -S^gean, yoL i. p. 94 ; Dr. Richardson's TrayelB along 



CLIMATE. 



43 



It has been justly remarked^ that " Syria has three 
climates. The summits of Libanus, for instance, covered 
with snoTT^ diffuse a salubrious coolness in the interior ; 
the flat situations, on the contrary, especially those which 
stretch along the line of the coast, are constantly sub- 
jected to heat_, accompanied with great humidity; "\viiile 
the adjoining plains of the desert are scorched by the 
rays of a burning sun. The seasons and productions, 
of course, undergo a corresponding variation. In the 
mountains^ the months of spring and summer very nearly 
coincide with those in the southern parts of Europe ; and 
the winter, which lasts from November till March, is 
sharp and vigorous. No year passes without snow, 
which often covers the surface of the ground to the 
depth of several feet during many weeks. The spring 
and autumn are agreeable, and the summer by no 
means oppressive. But in the plains, on the other 
hand, as soon as the sun has passed the equator, a 
sudden transition takes place to an overpowering heat, 
which continues till October.''^ * 

Dr. Wittman observes, " During our stay in J udsea, 
the thermometer, in the months of July, August, and 
September^ marked the highest in the afternoons, from 
93 to 95 .tcgrees of Fahrenheit. It is unnecessary to 
remark, that during this interval the heat was extremely 
oppressive to such of our party as had not been inured 
to the more sultry climes. The sky was, at the above 
season, beautifully clear, without a cloud to obscure the 
wide expanse, and the atmosphere pure and benign.^^ 

Dr. Clarke relates, when travelling near Cana in 
Galilee, in the month of July, '^^The heat of the day 

the Mediterranean, vol. i. pp. 181, 182 ; Home's Introduction, vol. iii. 
p. 29 ; Modern Traveller — Palestine, p. 14 ; Watson's Biblical Dic- 
tionary, A-rt* Canaan ; Ransom's Biblical Topography, p. 195, et. seq. 
* Palestine, p. 418. 



44 



CLIMATE. 



was greater than anj^ to which we had yet been exposed in 
the Levant. Captain Culverhouse had the misfortune 
to break his umbrella ; a frivolous event in milder 
latitudes, but here of so much importance, that all hopes 
of continuing our journey depended on its being repair- 
ed. Fortunately, beneath some rocks, over which we 
were then passing, there were caverns, excavated by 
primeval shepherds as a shelter from scorching beams, 
capable of baking bread, and actually of dressing meat. 
Into these caverns we crept, to restore the umbrella, 
and to profit by the opportunity thus afforded us of 
unpacking our thermometer and ascertaining the tem- 
perature of the atmosphere. It was now 12 o^ clock. 
The thermometer, in a gloomy recess under ground, 
perfectly shaded, while the scale was placed so as not to 
touch the rock, remained at 100 degrees of Fahrenheit. 
As to making any observation in the sun^s rays, it was 
impossible ; no one of the party had courage to wait with 
the thermometer a single minute in such a situation.^' 
On another occasion, the thermometer, in the most shady 
situation that could be found, was at 102^ degrees ; and 
the author afterwards ate bread baked in the sun. Mr. 
Buckingham found the temperature of the air, near Na- 
zareth, 92 in the shade on the 12th of February. 

Both the sun and moon have great power in this 
climate. During the Hot Season, it is by no means 
infrequent for persons to drop down and die suddenly, 
in consequence of the extreme heat of the solar rays. 
This is termed a coup-desoliel, or stroke of the sun. It 
was probably this which caused the death of the Shu- 
nemite child. (2 Kings iv. 19, 20.) So early as the 
month of March, in the year prior to that in which th^ 
travellers Egmont and Heyman arrived in Palestine^ 
the heat proved fatal to several persons in the plain of 
Jericho. And many of the troops of Baldwin, king of 



CLIMATE, 



45 



Jerusalem, died from tlie heat^ near to Nazai^eth^ where 
he fouglit the Saracens^ — a situation considerably far- 
ther north than Jericho.* These facts gire force and 
meaning to the language of Scripture : " As a servant 
earnestly desireth the shadow.'' (Job \"ii. 2.) ''And there 
shall lie a tahernade for a shadow in the day time from the 
heaty (Isa. iv. 6.) Make thy shadoiv as the night, in 
the midst of the noonday. (Isa- XTi. 3.) " Thou hast been 
a shadow from, the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is 
as a storm against the wall.'- (Isa. xxy. 4.) A man shall 
be as a hiding-place from the wind, and a covert fram the 
tempest ; as rivers of icater in a dry place, as the shadow of 
a great rock in a weary land." (Isa. xxxii. 2.) 

In Arabia,, Egypt^ and other parts of the East^ the 
lunar rays also are rery pernicious. Here the moon 
strikes and affects the sight even more powerfully than 
the sun ; and a person sleeping in the open air^ with his 
face exposed to it^ would soon become blind. t The 
deadly influence of the moon is equally felt in the East 
and TVest Indies. In the East Indies, meat hung up, 
if exposed to moonlight, will not take the salt, but taints 
and spoils speedily ; whereas the same kind of meat, if 
kept from the moonhght, will take salt and keep good 
for some time.i And at Demerara, the moon strikes 
similarly to the sun. This is called a coup-de-lune, to 
avert which people walk out at night with umbrellas, or 
paralunes. In allusion to these Oriental phenomena, the 
Psalmist declares, '' The sun shall not smite thee by day, 
nor the moon by night.'' (Psa. cxxi. 6.) It is also a 
circumstance worthy of notice, that intensely hot 
days are often succeeded by intensely cold and frosty 
nights. This explains the language of Jacob to Laban, 

* Harmer's Observations, vol. i. p. 4 ; Madden's Travels in Turkey, 
▼ol. ii. pp. 197, 198. 

+ Carne's Letters from tiie East, p. 77. 

X Roberta's Oriental Illustrations of Scripture 



46 



CLIMATE. 



that in the day the drought consumed him, and //w 
FROST by night Chardin travelled in Arabia and in 
Mesopotamia, the scene of JacoVs adventures, and tra- 
versed the very fields where that patriarch tended the 
iioeks of Laban ; and he states that he was scorched with 
heat in the day, and stiffened with cold during the night* 
Thevenot, who visited the same region, bears similar testi- 
mony. 

In Dr. Wittman's account of the winter he spent in 
Judaea, no mention is made of snow or frost ; both so often 
alluded to in the Scriptures, that no doubt can be enter- 
tained of their being frequent at that season in some parts 
of the country. But we are furnished in other accounts 
with ample proof of the accuracy of these allusions. In 
the histories of events occurring in the wars of the Cru- 
saders, preserved in the collection entitled " Gesta Dei per 
FrancGSy^ the severity of the weather is often incidentally 
mentioned as seriously obstructing the military operations. 
Vinisauf, speaking of a council held a few days after 
Epiphany, (Jan. 6,) 1192, says, that the Turks, who had 
shut themselves up in Jernsalem, were greatly distressed 
by the excessive quantity of snow and hail ; the melting of 
which caused such torrents from the mountains, that their 
horses and cattle were swept away in droves ; while others 
were killed by the severity of the cold. A few days after, 
in the plain of Ramlah, the mud and waters were so frozen 
as to make travelling very difficult; although in deep 
muddy places, the surface was not strong enough to bear. 
About the same period, the English king Richard, with his 
army, were seriously incommoded by the inclemency of 
the season. The snow and hail drove with violence in 
their faces, and the rain descended in such torrents as to 
threaten to overwhelm them ; while the ground giving way 



* Gen. xxxi. 40, 



HAIL. 



47 



under their horses' feet, occasioned them to fall, and many 
of them to perish. " Oh ! who/'' says the narrator, " can 
estimate the bitterness of that day \ " Jacobus de Yitriaco 
says, that on the 34th of December, the cold was so severe, 
that many of the poor people and beasts of burden died. 
And Albertus Aquensis tells us, that of those who accom- 
panied king Baldwin in the mountainous districts, on the 
(Bast side of the Dead Sea, many died from the terrible 
hail, ice, snow, and rain which they had to encounter 
At this season, the roads being slippery, especially on 
the steep mountain-paths, travelling is both difficult and 
dangerous. (Jer. xxiii. 12.) Hence onr Lord, Avhen fore- 
telling the calamities that would attend the siege of 
J erusalem, and advising his disciples to " flee unto the 
mountains,''^ exhorted them to pray that their "flight 
might not be in winter.''^ (Matt. xxiv. 20.) The fore- 
going account will also serve to show, that the language 
of the royal Psalmist, though penned in the warm lati- 
tudes of Judgea, is true to nature : " He giveth snow like 
WOOL ; he scattereth the hoar-frost like ashes. He casteth 
forth his ice like morsels : who can stand before his cold?'* 
(Ps. cxlvii. 16, 17.) Of the comparison of snow to wool, 
it is to be remarked, that when it does fall in that country, 
it is commonly in large woolly flakes of the size of wal- 
nuts; and the propriety of calling hail "morsels'^ or 
fragments of ice, will be seen from the following account. 

HAIL. 

In the winter and spring, hail frequently falls in very 
heavy storms, and in stones of au enormous size. Dr. 
Russell says, that he has seen some at Aleppo which 
measured two inches in diameter ; but sometimes they are 
found to consist of irregularly shaped pieces, weighing 

* Hansford's Scrip. Gazetteer, p. 295, 



48 



HAIN 



nearly two bunces. These storms of hail soraetimes 
prove fatal to man and beast. Such was the storm that 
discomfited the Amorites ; (Josh. x. 10 ;) and such the 
"very grievous hail " that destroyed the cattle of the 
Egyptians. (Exod. ix. 18_, 23, 24.) A fearful storm of 
this description fell on the British fleet;, in Marmorice 
Bay, in Asiatic Turkey, in the year 1801. " On the 8th 
of February commenced the most violent thunder and 
hail- storm ever remembered, and which continued two 
days and nights intermittingly. The hail-stones^ or rather 
ice-stones, were as big as large walnuts. The camps were 
deluged with a torrent of them two feet deep, which, 
pouring from the mountains, swept every thing before 
it. The scene of confusion on shore, by the horses break- 
ing loose, and the men being unable to face the storm, 
or remain still in the freezing deluge, surpasses descrip- 
tion. It is not in the power of language to convey an 
adequate idea of such a tempest." * This furnishes a 
striking comment on the language of the Psalmist 
quoted above : " He casteth forth his ice like morsels : 
who can stand before his cold?" 

RAIN. 

While Egypt and other neighbouring countries are 
seldom visited with a shower, the plains of Palestine are 
fertilized by frequent and copious rains. These fall for 
the most part during autumn, winter, and spring. The 
first rainy season commences at the autumnal equinox, 
or somewhat later, and continues till the beginning of 
December ; during which period, heavy clouds often obscure 
the sky, and several days of violent rain sometimes suc- 
ceed each other, with high winds. This is what is termed 
in Scripture, the early, ov former rain. Showers continue 

* Sir Robert Wilson's History of the British Expedition to Egypt, 
vol. i. p. 8; Kiuneir's Geographical Memoir, p. 158. 



RAIN. 



49 



to fall at uncertain intervals^ with some cloudy but 
more fair weather^ till towards tlie vernal equinox^ (about 
the beginning of April,) when they become again more 
frequent and copious^ and continue till the middle or 
latter end of that month. This is the second rainy sea- 
son^ or ''latter rain.'' (Joel ii. 23.) The former^ or 
autumnal rains, were requisite to prepare the land for 
ploughing and sowing, and the latter were essential to 
the growth and maturity of the crop, the productiveness 
of which was regulated by the paucity or copiousness of 
the vernal showers. Hence the beautiful allusion of 
Solomon: "In the light of the king's countenance is life; 
and his favour is as a cloud of the latter rain." 
(Prov. x^d. 15.) "Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the 
precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, 
until he receive the early and latter rain'' (James v. 7 ; 
See also Deut. xi. 14 ; Job xxix. 23 ; Jer. iii. 3 ; v. 24; 
Hos. vi. 3; Joel ii. 23; Zech. x. 1.)* 

From the middle of April to the end of May, showers 
come on at irregular intervals, gradually decreasing in 
frequency and force as the season advances; the shy 
being generally serene, and the temperature of the air 
agreeable, though sometimes acquiring a high degree of 
heat. From the end of IMay, or the beginning of June, 
to the end of September or the middle of October^ 
scarcely a drop of rain falls, the sky being clear and 
cloudless, and the heat generally oppressive. 

During this season, the weather is so warm, that the 
inhabitants usually sleep in the open air, on the flat ter- 

* " From these bountiful showers of heayen, indeed, the fertility of 
every land springs ; but how dreadful in this country would be such a 
three years' drought as was inflicted upon Israel in the days of Ahab, 
may easily be conceived, when it is remembered that in summer the 
richest soil is burnt to dust; so that a traveller, riding throxigh the 
plain of Esdraelon in July or August, would imagine himself to be 
crossing a desert." ' Jowett's Christian Researches in Syria, p. 306.) 



H 



50 



RAIN. 



raced roofs of tlieir houses. The approach of the storms 
of rain above described, especially those which prevail in 
autumn, is indicated by short but violent gusts of wind, 
which, from the surface of a parched and sandy soil, 
raise immense clouds of dust — the sure precursors of 
rain. This explains the passage — "Ye shall not see wind, 
neither shall ye see rain.'' (2 Kings iii. 17.) Referring 
to the same circumstance^ Solomon says, " Whoso boasteth 
himself of a false gift, is like clouds and wind without 
rain.'' (Prov. xxv. 14.) 

Another prognostic of rain is, a small dark cloud 
rising out of the west, and gradually expanding till it 
overspreads the whole horizon. Such was the " cloud 
like a man's hand," which Elijah saw from Mount Carmel, 
which spread till " the heavens were black ivith clouds and 
ivind, and there was a great rain." (1 Kings xviii. 45.) 
And to this phenomenon, as a certaiu^prognostic of rain, 
our Saviour alludes : — " When ye see a cloud (more cor- 
rectly THE cloud, THN Ns^sA^jv) risc out of the west, straight- 
way ye say. There cometh a shower ; and so it is.^^ (Luke 
xii. 54.) The same appearance is noticed by Homer : — 

'Lis V or UTVo (jKOTTiV)? Bi^sv vl(pos ouTtoKos a-JYi^ 
'E^^o[j.svov Kara, icovrov inio Xs^i/^oto iu>v)S, 
Tm r , ixvEvQsv lovri, {j^sXdvTs^ov, ritri 'ittacriXt 
<S>ixi]iEr iQv y.ocra. movrov, aysi rs XaiXocirac itoXXm. 
'PeyvicrEv te lowv. k. r. X. Iliad, lib. iv. 275. 

** Slow from the main the heavy vapours rise, 
Spread in dim streams, and sail along the skies ; 
Till hlack as night, the swelling tempest shows 
The cloud condensing as the west wind blows." 

Pope's Translation. 

The phenomenon here alluded to is still found to 
diversify the aspect of the eastern sky. Volney remarks, 
that clouds are sometimes seen to dissolve and disperse 



DEWS. 



51 



like smoke ; while on other occasions^ they form in an 
instantj and from a small speck^ increase to a consider- 
able size. This is particularly observable at the sum- 
mit of Lebanon ; and mariners have usuallj^ found that 
the appearance of a cloud on this peak is an infallible 
presage of a westerly wind, one of the ' fathers of rain ' 
in the climate of J udsea.* 

DEWS. 

During the months of June, July^ and August^ the 
atmosphere is mild and serene, a cloud is seldom seen, 
and scarcely a drop of rain descends ; but to suppl}^ in 
some measure this deficiency, the earth is moistened by 
nocturnal dews, which are so copious as to resemble small, 
thick, penetrating rain, and a person exposed to them 
would soon be wet to the skin. " We were instructed 
by experience," says Maundrell, " what the holy Psalmist 
means by the ' dew of Hermon,' our tents being as wet 
with it as if it had rained all night. ■'"'t These heavy 
dews fall during the night, and are very refreshing; 
but as soon as the sun rises and the atmosphere becomes 
warmed by his rays, these mists are dispersed, and the 
moisture with which they have imbued the earth speedily 
evaporates. The prophet Hosea avails himself of this 
incident to represent the transient good impressions of 

* Volney's Travels. 

t Dr.E. 1"). Clarke, describinghis journey from Aboukir lo Rosetta, iu 
1801, says, " JVe had a tent allotted to us for the night ; it was double 
lined; yet so copious are the dews of Egypt (the climate of which is 
much the same as that of Palestine) after sunset, that the water ran 
copiously down the tent'pole." (Travels, vol. iii. p. 365.) Mr. Carne 
says, " The dews had fallen heavily for some nights, and the clothes 
that covered us were quite wet in the morning." (Letters from the East, 
p. 178. See also Shaw's Travels, vol. ii. p. 325 ; and Home's Introduc- 
tion, vol. iii. p. 34.) 



52 



DEWS. 



Epliraim and Judah : " Your goodness is as a morning 
CLOUDj and as the early dew it goeth awayJ' (Hos. 
ri. 4.) 

The former part of this passage is an allusion to 
another oriental phenomenon. During the season of 
harvest, every morning about nine o^ clock, a small 
cloud, not above four feet broad, appears in the east, 
whirling violently round as if upon an axis ; but, arriving 
near the zenith, it first abates its motion, then loses its 
form, and extends itself greatly, and seems to call up 
vapours from all opposite quarters. (Ps. cxxxv. 7.) 
After amusing the spectator, for a short time, with 
its fantastic movements, it bursts and disappears. 
" Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as 
the EARLY DEW that passeth away." (Hos. xiii. 3.) 
And this morning cloud gives no rain ; it is an empty 
cloud. Hence Jude speaks of false teachers as " clouds 
without water.'' (Jude, ver. 12.) Dew, on account of 
its copiousness, and its refreshing fertilizing influence, 
is often referred to in Scripture as a symbol of the Divine 
blessing. " / will he as the deiv unto Israel." (Hos. xiv. 
5.) His favour is as dew upon the grass." (Prov. xix. 
12.) " Thy dew is as the dew of herbs." (Isa. xxvi. 19.) 
It is also used to represent the refreshing and cheering 
influence of brotherly love. (Ps. cxxxiii. 3.) The dews 
of Palestine fall very fast and suddenly, covering every 
blade of grass, and every spot of earth : hence an active 
and expeditious soldiery is, by a beautiful and appro- 
priate figure, compared to dew. (2 Sam. xvii. 12.) The 
suspension of dew was imprecated on the monntains of 
Gilboa as a perpetual curse, and a monument of mourn- 
ing for the death of Saul and Jonathan : " Ye mountains 
of Gilboa, let there be no dew upon you ; for there the shield 



* Bruce's Travels, vol. 5, p. 336, 8vo. 



WINDS. 



58 



of the mighty is vilely cast away.'' (2 Sam. i. 21.) And 
as the dew distils upon the earth, penetrating the parched 
soil, and invigorating its dormant energies, so the 
heavenly doctrines of the Gospel soften and renovate the 
heart : " My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall 
distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and 
as the showers upon the grass.'' (Dent, xxxii. 2.) 

WINDS. 

" The winds of Palestine, as in all countries which ap- 
proach the tropics, are periodical, and governed in no 
small degree by the course of the sun. About the 
autumnal equinox, the north-east wind begins to blow 
with frequency and strength. It renders the air dry, 
clear, and sharp ; and it is remarkable, that on the sea- 
coast, it causes the headache, like the north-east wind 
in Egypt. "We may further observe, that it usually 
blows three days successively, like the south and south- 
east wind at the other equinox. It continues to prevail 
till November, that is, about fifty days, when it is fol- 
lowed by the west and south-west, called by the Arabs, 
the ^ fathers of rain In March arise the pernicious 
winds from the southern quarter, with the same cir- 
cumstances as in Egypt : but they become feebler as we 
advance towards the north, and are much more sup- 
portable in the mountains than in the low country. 
Their duration at each return, varies from twenty-four 
hours to three days." * During the summer months, the 
prevaiHng winds are from the north and north-east. In 
October, they are more variable until the equinoctial 
breezes set in. On the coast of Syria, the sea-breeze pre- 
vails during the day-time, which falling in the evening, 
gives place to the gentle land-breeze ; this continues to 

* Palestine, p. 418. 



54 



THUNDERSTORMS. 



blow uutil about nine the next morning. The westeiiy^ 
or sea-breezes diffuse a salubrious coolness, and commonly 
bring on rain. (Luke xii. 54.) The east, or land-breeze, 
which blows from the desert, is a hot wind ; (Luke xii. 55 ;) 
it often produces a blight, and does great damage to the 
crops and vintage. " And behold, seven ears withered, thin 
and Masted with the east wind, sprang up after them.'' 
(Gen. xii. 23.) " Being planted, shall it (the vine) prosper ? 
shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it ? 
it shall wither in the farrows where it grew.'' (Ezek. xrvdi. 
10.) ^' But she was plucked up in fury, she luas cast down 
to the ground, and the east wind dried up her fruit : her 
strong rods were broken and withered; the fire consumed 
them." (Ezek. xix. 13. See also Hosea xiii. 15 ; Jonah 
iv. 8.) These easterly gales are highly dangerous to 
navigators in the Mediterranean sea, where they are 
called Levanters, the term Levant denoting the country 
which lies at the eastern extremity of that sea. " Thou 
breakest the ships of Tarshish with an east wind." (Ps. 
xlviii. 7.) " Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters ; 
the east wind hath broken thee in the midst of the seas." 
(Ezek. xx^di. 26c) The Em'oclydon, which caused the 
wreck of the vessel in which Paul was sailing to Rome,' 
was one of these tempestuous east winds, [^n^os tvOoukos,) 
that drove everything before it. (Acts xxvii. 14.) This 
wind usually prevails, on the coast of Syria, from Feb- 
ruary till June, and is then succeeded by the north T^ind. 

THUNDEESTORMS. 

The violent thunderstorms that so frequently occur 
in the East, especially during the Winter Solstice,, are 
characterized by an awful grandeur, and there are 
some phenomena attending them that entitle them to 
a distinct notice. '^^ Travellers have observed that, in 



THUNDERSTORMS. 



55 



the lowlands of Palestine, as well as iu Egypt^ thundei 
is more common in winter than in summer; while iu 
the mountain s_, on the contrarVj it is more frequent in 
the latter season^ and very seldom heard in the former. 
In both these countries^ it happens oftenest in the 
rainy season^ or about the time of the equinoxes^ espe- 
cially the autumnal; and it is further remarkable,, 
that it never comes from the land side^ but always 
from the sea. These storms^ too, generally speaking, 
take place either in the evening or the morning, and 
rarely in the middle of the day. They ai'e accom- 
panied with violent showers of rain, and sometimes of 
uncommonly large hail, which, soon covering the fac« 
of the country with stagnant water, give rise to a 
copious evaporation.^^* 

'an the month of December, 1800,'' says Dr. Witt, 
man, ^' the January following, and part of February, the 
weather was very tempestuous; with heavy rains, vi\-id 
lightnings, and thunders, the explosion of which was aw- 
ful and tremendous. During this period, the thermometer 
was low; and on one occasion, the storm was accom- 
panied by hail. The winds were usually fi'om the south 
or south-west. A haziness from the southward, was the 
sure precursor of each of the gales ; and to this indica- 
tion of foul weather was superadded a remarkably large 
circle or disk round the moon.'-' Lamartine gives the 
•following graphic and glowing description of a storm 
which he encountered on the summit of Mount Carmel : 

" Oct. 21st, 1832. We have been surprised by a storm 
in the middle of the day. I have seldom seen anything so 
terrible. The clouds rose like towers perpendicularly 
above Mount Carmel ; they speedily enveloped the long 
peak of that chain of mountains ; and the mountain itself. 



* Palestine, pp. 419, 420. 



56 



THUNDERSTORMS. 



lately so serene and brilliant, was by degrees immersed 
in dark rolling billows, split at intervals by streaks of 
fire. In a few moments, tbe whole horizon dropped 
and contracted upon us. The thunder gave no claps ; 
it was one continued, awful, and deafening roll, like the 
roar of the waves on a beach during a violent tempest. 
The lightning gushed like actual torrents of fire from 
the sky on the black sides of Carmel; the oaks on the 
mountain, and those on the hills beside us, bent like 
reeds. The wind, which rushed from the gorges and 
caverns, would have overthrown us, if we had not quitted 
our horses, and found some degree of shelter behind a 
rock in the dry bed of a torrent. The dried leaves, 
lifted up by the storm, flew over our heads like clouds, 
and the branches of trees fell thickly around us. I re- 
membered the Bible, and the prodigies of Elias, the 
exterminating prophet, on this mountain.^^ * 

These accounts display the force and appropriateness 
of the language of Scripture : " The Lord thundered with 
a great thunder" (1 Sam. vii. 10.) The thunder of his 
power who can understand?'' (Job xxvi. 14.) At the 
voice of thy thunder they hasted away." (Ps. civ. 7.) 
" Canst thou thunder with a voice like him?" (Job xl. 9.) 
Lightnings also are frequent in the autumnal months, a 
night seldom passing in the north-west of Syria without 
a considerable quantity of it, but without thunder : but 
when it appears in the west, or south-west, it is a sure 
forerunner of rain, and is often attended by thunder.t 
This throws light on the passages- — " He maketh light- 
nings FOR THE RAIN ; he hriugcth the wind out of his 
treasuries." (Ps. cxxxv. 7.) " When he uttereth his voice, 
there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth 
the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh 



* Travels in the East, p. 66- t Russell's Hist; 



VfTATEESPOUTS. 



57 



LIGHTNINGS with rain, and bringeih forth the wind out of 
his treasures'' (Jer. x. 13.) 

Compared with these sublime dictates of inspiration, 
the most eloquent and energetic descriptions of unin- 
spired bards appear poor and vapid. Even the poetry 
of Virgil, the prince of Roman poets_, suffers greatly by 
comparison with the chaste and lofty style of the Pro- 
phets. Let the following lines be read in connexion 
with the passages just cited, and their infericrity will 
immediately appear : — 

" A-tque hsec ut certis possimus discere signis, 
^stusque, pluviasque et agentes frigora ventos, 
Ipse Pater statuit quid menstrua luna moneret ; 
Quo signo caderent Austri, quid ssepe videntes 
Agricolse, proprius stabulis armenta tenerent." 

Georg. lib. 1, v. 351, et seq. 

"And that we may discern by certain indications both heats and 
rains, and cold-bearing winds, Father Jove himself has appointed what 
the monthly moon should betoken ; with what signs the south winds 
should fall ; and by what common observations the husbandman should 
learn to keep his herds nearer their stalls." 

WATERSPOUTS. 

"Waterspouts are not unfrequent along the shores 
of Syria, and more especially in the neighbourhood of 
Mount Carmel. Those observed by Dr. Shaw appeared 
to be so many cylinders of water falling down from 
the clouds ; though, by the reflection, it might be, of 
these descending columns, or from the actual dropping 
of the fluid contained in them, they would sometimes, 
he says, appear at a distance to be sucked up from the 
sea. The theory of waterspouts in the present day, 
does indeed admit the supposition here referred to; 
that the air, being rarefied by particular causes, has 



I 



58 



IGNIS FATUUS. 



its equilibriam restored by tbe elevation of tbe water^ 
on tlie same principle tliat tlie mercury rises in the 
barometer, or tbe contents of a well in a common 
pump/'* 

IGNIS FATUUS. 

Another atmospheric phenomenon sometimes ob- 
served in the East, is the ignis fatuus or deceptive fire. 
Dr. Shaw states, that travelling by night, in the be- 
ginning of April, through the valley s of Mount Ephraim, 
he was attended for more than an hour by an ignis 
fatuuSj that displayed itself in a variety of extraordinary 
forms. It was sometimes globular, and sometimes 
pointed like the flame of a candle; then it spread 
itself so as to involve the whole company in its 
pale inoffensive light ; after which it contracted, and 
suddenly disappeared. But in less than a minute, it 
would begin again to exert itself as at other times ; 
running along from one place to another with great 
swiftness, like a train of gunpowder set on fire ; or else 
it would expand itself over more than two or three acres 
of the adjacent mountains, discovering every shrub and 
tree that grew upon them. The atmosphere, from the 
beginning of the evening, had been remarkably thick 
and hazy; and the dew, as felt upon the bridles, was 
unusually clammy and unctuous. 

SEASONS. 

Six several seasons of the year are indicated in Gen. 
viii. 22 ; viz. seed-time and harvest, cold and heat, summer 
and winter; and, as agriculture constituted the chief 



* Palestine, p. 420. Shaw's Travels, vol. ii. p. 134, 



SEASONS. 



59 



employment of the Jews, we are informed by the rab- 
binical writers, that they adopted this division of the 
seasons by which to regnlate their rural operations. 
It is still observed by the Arabs and other nomadic 
tribes of the East. A brief notice of the natural phe- 
nomena which characterize each of these seasons will 
enable us to form a more correct idea of the transitions 
to which this climate is subjected. 

1. SEED-TIME— comprised the latter half of the 
Jewish month Tisri, the whole of Marchesvan, and the 
former half of Chisleu ; that is, fr om the beginning of 
October to the beginning of December. During this 
season the weather is variable, very often misty or 
cloudy, with mizzling or pouring rain. Towards the 
close of October or early in November, the autumnal 
rains begin to fall in copious and frequent showers. At 
this time the Jews were accustomed to plough their 
lands, and sow their wheat, and gather the latter grapes. 
Barley was put into the ground about two months 
later. The air at this season is usually warm, some- 
times even hot in the day-time; but at nights, the 
cold is often so intense, as to freeze the heavy dews ; 
especially towards the close of it, when snows begin to 
fall, and the trees lose their foliage. 

2. WINTER— included the latter half of Chisleu, 
the v/hole of Tebeth, and the former part of Sebat ; 
that is, from the beginning of December to the be- 
ginning of February. At the commencement of this 
season snow rarely falls ; the ice is thin, and melts as 
soon as the sun ascends above the horizon. As the 
season advances the north wind sets in, and the cold, 
especially on the mountains, which are now covered 
with snow, is intensely severe, and sometimes even 
fatal. But however severe the weather occasionally is, 
there are intervals, even in the depth of winter, when 



60 



SEASONS. 



the sun sliines, and tliere is no wind ; in the open air, 
it is warm_, and sometimes almost hot. At such times 
the poorer classes are accustomed to enjoy the con- 
versation of their friends^ sauntering about^ or sitting 
under the walls of their dwellings ; while the houses of 
the more opulent having porches or gatewaj^s, with 
benches on each side^ the master of the mansion re- 
ceives visitors there, despatches business, and holds in- 
tercourse with his friends.* This usage will serve to 
illustrate a somewhat obscure passage in the book of 
Ezekiel (xxxiii. 30) : " Also, thou son of man, the children 
of thy people are still talking concerning thee, (so it should 
be rendered,) by the walls and in the doors of the 
HOUSES, and speak one to another, every one to his brother^ 
saying. Come, I pray y ou, and hear what is the word that 
cometh forth from the LordJ^ It appears, from ver. 21^, 
that these things were transacted in the tenth month, 
corresponding to the close of our December and the 
early part of January. The winter season seems to 
designate the commencement or setting-in of the cold 
M'cather. The next period was distinguished as 

3. THE COLD SEASON, or WINTEH SOL- 
STICE. This comprises the latter half of Sebat, the 
whole of Adar, and the former half of Nisan ; that is, 
from the beginning of February to the beginning of 
April. It is not, however, to be inferred that the whole 
of this period is characterized by intense cold. Before 
the close of it, the frosts disappear, the weather becomes 
warm, and the gardens are clothed in the beauties of 
spring. The narcissus blows most part of the winter; 
and hyacinths and violets become plentiful in the month 
of January. " The spring,'^ observes Dr. liussell, " may 

* The same usage still obtains at Smyrna. Emerson's Letters from 
the ^gean, vol. i. pp. 96, 97 



SEASONS. 



61 



be said to commence early in February. The fields^ 
which were partly green before, by the springing up ol 
the later grain_, now become covered with an agreeiibla 
verdure. The almond-tree puts forth its blossom about 
the middle of the months being soon followed by the 
apricot, the peach_, and the plum ; and, though other 
trees remain in their leafless state till the second week 
of March, those which are in blossom, together with the 
lively vegetation of the plants beneath, give a pleasing 
vernal appearance to the gardens. The same winds^ 
which are peculiarly cold in the winter, though at this 
time they often blow more strongly, are much less 
bleak ; and though the sky is often loaded with black 
hovering clouds, accompanied with a good deal of rain, 
the heavy showers are of short duration; and in the 
variable weather, there is a large proportion of sun- 
shine." At this season of the year, thunder, lightning, 
and hail, are of frequent occurrence; early in April the 
vernal rains begin to fall, swelling the rising crops with 
which the valleys are covered. 

4. THE HARYEST— includes the latter half of 
Nisan, the whole of Ijar or Zif, and the former half of 
^ivan; that is, from the beginning of April to the be- 
ginning of June. In the first fortnight of this season, 
the latter rains are frequent, but cease towards the end 
of April, when the sky is generally fair and serene. In 
the plain of Jericho, the heat of the sun is excessive ; 
but in other parts of Palestine, the weather is most de- 
lightful. In April the spring hastens rapidly forward ; 
the sky is more constantly clear ; and the sun shining 
out with increasing power, the intervening showers 
prove not less grateful to the senses than refreshing to 
vegetation. The fields are in full beauty towards the 
end of this month, the verdure being everywhere finely 
variegated by an exuberance of plants, left to expand 



62 



SEASONS, 



their flowers amidst tlie corn. Early in May the corn 
begins to be yellow ; from which period, the gay livery 
that clad the fields in the two preceding months, fades 
rapidly. A few weeks more bring on the harvest ; and 
the grain near Aleppo being usually plucked up by the 
roots, the v»^hole country assumes so bare and parched 
an aspect, that one would be apt to think it incapable 
of producing anything besides the few robust plants 
scattered here and there, which have not been torn up 
by the reapers, and have vigour to resist the scorching 
heat.* 

The barley harvest commences early in May, ten 
days or a fortnight before that of wheat ; and early in 
June, most of the corn of every kind is off the ground. 
Wheat, as well as barley, does not grow half so high as 
in Britain; and is, therefore, like other grain, not 
reaped with the sickle, but plucked up by the hand. 

5. THE SUMMER— comprehends the latter half of 
Sivan, the whole of Thammuz, and the former half of 
Ab j that is, from the beginning of June to the begin- 
ning of August. During this period, the heat of the 
weather increases, and the nights are so warm that the 
inhabitants sleep on their housetops in the open air. 
In the East, the Harvest precedes the Summer; this 
explains the language of the prophet, ( Jer. viii. 20,) and 
adds weight to his reproof : " The harvest is past, the 
summer is ended, and vje are not saved;" intimating that 
two distinct and successive periods, and those too the 
most favourable and fruitful, had been allowed to pass 
away unimproved. 

6. THE HOT SEASON— called by the rabbins the 
Great Heat, includes the latter half of Ab, the whole of 
Elul, and the former half of Tisri ; that is, from the begin - 

* Du. Russell's Nat. Hist, of Aleppo, p. 96. 



SEASONS. 



63 



nmg of August to the beginning of October. During 
the chief part of this season^ the heat is intense, there 
is no cold, not even in the night, so that travellers pass 
whole nights in the open air without inconvenience. 
Lebanon is for the most part free from snow, except on 
its loftiest summits, and in the caverns and defiles where 
the sun cannot penetrate. From the middle of April to 
the middle of September, it seldom rains or thunders. 
(Prov. xxvi. 1 ; 1 Sam. xii. 17.) As the season advances, 
the face of the country becomes entirely changed; the 
fields, so lately clothed with the richest verdure and 
adorned with the loveliest flowers, are transformed into 
a brown and arid wilderness ; the grass withereth, the 
flower fadeth ; the fountains and rivulets are dried up ; 
and the soil becomes so hard as to exhibit large fissures 
or clefts. If, at this season, a single spark fall upon the 
grass, a conflagration immediately ensues, especially if 
there should be any briars or thorns, low shrubs or woods 
adjacent. (See allusions to this circumstance in Psalm 
Ixxxiii. 14) ; Isa. ix. 18 ; and x. 17, 18 ; Jer. xxi. 14 ; Joel 
i. 19, 20.) ^^The very afiPecting images of Scripture, 
which compare the short-living existence of man to the 
decay of the vegetable creation, are scarcely understood 
in this country. The verdure is perpetual in England. 
It is difficult to discover a time v*'hen it can be said, 
' The grass withereth.' But, let the traveller visit the 
beautiful plain of Smyrna, or any other part of the East, 
in the month of May, and revisit it towards the end of 
June, and he will perceive the force and beauty of these 
allusions. In May, an appearance of fresh verdure and 
of rich luxuriance everywhere meets the eye; the face 
of nature is adorned with a carpet of flowers and herbage 
of the most elegant kind. But, a month or six weeks 
subsequently, how changed is the entire scene ! The 
beauty is gone; the grass is withered; the flower is 



64 



LOCAL CALAMITIES. 



faded; a brown and dusty desert has taken place of a deli- 
cious garden. It isj doubtless,, to tliis rapid transform- 
ation of nature that the Scriptui-es compare the fate of 
man."* 

LOCAL CALAMITIES. 

1. The Plague. Palestine is now^ as it was for- 
merly^ peculiarly liable to the visitations of the plague, 
which usually enters the country from Egypt, or the 
surrounding region. Here, emphatically, the pesti- 
lence walketh in dai^kness, and the destruction wasieth at 
noon-day;" invading indiscriminately the palace and the 
cottage — scattering its venomed arrows on the wings of 
the wind — depopulating whole towns and tillages, and 
converting the wide field of its desolations into one vast 
and sad mausoleum. Mr. Stephens relates that in the 
small town of Assouan, situated on the Nile, 20,000 
persons were swept away by the plague in one year ; 
and that in consequence of the terrible ravages of this 
scourge, the town was abandoned by the inhabitants, 
and a new one built at a short distance from it.-j- 

2. Earthquakes. The country being mountainous 
and volcanic, and near the sea, is sometimes shaken by 
tremendous earthquakes. We read of one that happened 
m the twenty- seventh year of Uzziah, king of Judah, 
A. M. 3221 ; and Josephus says that its violence divided 
a large mountain, and drove one part of it to the 
distance of four furlongs. Another fearful earthquake 
occurred at the crucifixion, when " the rocks and moun- 
tains were cleft in sunder, and the veil of the temple was 

* Hartley's Researches iu Greece, p. 237. See also Horiie's Intro- 
ducticr, vol. iii. pp. 29, 30 ; Ransom's Bib. Topography, p. 203. 

-f- Stephens' Incidents of Travel in Egypt, Arabia Petrea, and the 
Holy Land, p. 113. 



LOCAL CALAMITIES. 



65 



rent in twain." In the year 1759, there was an earth- 
quake in the valley of Balbec, which produced the most 
fearful ravages ; engulphing the whole district in one 
common ruin, and destroying upwards of 20,000 lives. 
For three months the violent and repeated shocks so 
terrified the inhabitants of Lebanon, that they abandoned 
their houses and dwelt under tents. In the autumn ot 
1822, this region was desolated by another earthquake, 
or rather by a succession of earthquakes; and on the 1st 
January, 1837, by another, which caused an extensive 
destruction of property, and was attended with the loss 
of nearly 7000 lives. These earthquakes sometimes pro- 
duce land-slips ; that is, strips of earth, lying on declivi- 
ties, are detached from their places and carried into the 
sea. To this, and to the special exemption of Jerusalem 
from these visitations, the Psalmist alludes in the sublime 
imagery of the 46th Psalm : — " Therefore will not we 
fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains 

^e CARRIED INTO THE MIDST OF THE SEA j Tkough the 

waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains 
shake with the swelling thereof, And also the prophet 
Isaiah : (xxiv. 18 : ) — The windows from on high are 
open, and the foundations of the earth do shake. The earth 
is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth 
is MOVED exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro 

LIKE A DRUNKARD, and shall be removed like a COT- 
TAGE.-'^ " I beheld the mountains, and lo, they trembled, 
and all the hills moved lightly." (Jer. iv. 24.) These 
terrible concussions of nature have supplied the sacred 
prophets and poets with many bold and beautiful figures. 
(See Psalm cxiv. 4 — 6 ; Isa. xxix. 6 ; liv. 10 ; Hag. ii. 
6, 7, 22; Matt. xxiv. 7.) 

3. The Tornado. Another fearful phenomenon which * 
imperils the oriental traveller is the Tornado, or Whirl- 
winds, so called from its whirling rotatory motion This 

K 



66 



LOCAL CALAMITIES. 



wind, which is most frequent during the Winter and Cold 
Season, sometimes blows from the north, (Ezek. i. 4,) but 
more frequently from the south, (Job xxxvii. 9,) and is 
then attended by thunders, lightnings, and violent rains, 
and produces the most fatal results. Mr. Morier, describ- 
ing the whirlwinds of Persia, says, — " They swept along 
the surface of the country in a manner truly terrific ; 
carrying away in their vortex sand, branches of trees, and 
the stubble of the fields ; and they really appeared to 
establish a communication between the earth and the 
clouds.''^* They have a rotatory action, and will some- 
times impel chaff or other light substances over a waste 
with fearful velocity, giving it the appearance of a wheel 
set in rapid motion. This forcibly illustrates the follow- 
ing passages : — Make them like a avheel — as stubble 
before the wind.'' (Ps. Ixxxiii. 13.) Chased as the chaff 
of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling 
TB.1NG before the whii^lwind.'' (Isa. xvii. 13.) " He shall 
blow upon them and they shall weep, and the whirlwind 
shall take them away as stubble J" Isa. xl. 24.) 

Prom the suddenness of its approach, and the impe- 
tuosity of its advance, and the extensive desolation it 
produces, the whirlwind is elegantly employed by Solomon 
as an emblem of the destruction that shall overwhelm the 
finally impenitent. (Prov. i. 27.) t 

The whirlwind sometimes assumes the shape and posi- 
tion of a waterspout, the vacuum being filled with earth, 
sand, &c., instead of water. Mr. Bruce, in his journey 
through the desert of Senaar, had the singular felicity to 
contemplate this wonderful phenomenon in all its terrific 
majesty, without injury, although with considerable danger 

* Morier's Second Journey, p. 202. 

f Compare Psalm xviii. 8 — 15 ; xxix. 1 — 10 ; Iv. 8 ; Ixxxiii. 15 ; Isa. 
V. 30; viii. 7, 8; xi. 15 ; xxviii. 2; xxix 6 ; Jer. xxiii. 19; Matt, 
vii. 25. 



LOCAL CALAMITIES. 



67 



and alarm. In that vast expanse of desert, from west 
and to north-west of him, he saw a number of prodigious 
pillars of sand at different distances, moving at times with 
great celerity, at others stalking on with majestic slow- 
ness ; at intervals he thought they were coming in a very 
few minutes to overwhelm him and his companions. 
Again they would retreat, so as to be almost out of sight, 
their tops reaching to the very clouds. There the tops 
often separated from the bodies; and these, once dis- 
joined, dispersed in the air, and appeared no more. 
Sometimes they were broken near the middle, as if struck 
with a large cannon-shot. About noon they began to 
advance with considerable swiftness upon them, the wind 
being very strong at north. Eleven of these awful visitors 
ranged alongside of them at about the distance of three 
miles. The greatest diameter of the largest appeared 
to him at that distance, as if it would measure ten feet. 
They retired from them with a wind at south-east, leaving 
an impression upon the mind of our intrepid traveller 
to which he could give no name ; though he candidly 
admits that one ingredient in it was fear, with a consider- 
able deal of wonder and astonishment. He declares it 
was in vain to think of flying ; the swiftest horse, or 
fastest-sailing ship, could be of no use to carry them out- 
of this danger : and the full persuasion of this riveted 
him to the spot where he stood. Next day they were 
gratified by a similar display of moving pillars, in form 
and disposition like those already described, only they 
seemed to be more in number, and less in size. They 
came several times in a direction close upon them ; that 
is, according to Mr. Bruce^s computation, within less than 
two miles. They became, immediately after sun-rise, like 
a thick wood, and almost darkened the sun; his rays 
shining through them for near an hour, gave them an 
appearance of pillars of fire. At another time they were 



68 



LOCAL CALAMITIES. 



terrified by an army of these sand pillars^ whose marcli 
was constantly south : a number of which seemed once to 
be coming directly upon them ; and^ though they were 
little nearer than two miles^ a considerable quantity of 
sand fell around them. On the 21st of November, about 
eight in the morning, he had a view of the desert to the 
westward as before, and saw the sands had already begun to 
rise in immense twisted pillars, which darkened the heavens, 
and moved over the desert with more magnificence than 
ever. The sun shining through the pillars, which were 
thicker, and contained more sand apparently than any 
of the preceding ones, seem^ed to give those nearest them 
an appearance as if spotted with stars of gold. A little 
before twelve, the wind at north ceased, and a considerable 
quantity of fine sand rained upon them for an hour 
afterwards."!^ 

On another occasion, Mr. Bruce was overtaken by a 
whirlwind in a plain near the river Nile, which lifted up a 
camel and threw it to a considerable distance with sach 
violence as to break several of its ribs. It also whirled 
himself and two of his servants off their feet, threw 
them violently to the ground, and literally plastered them 
with mud. Had it been dust or sand, instead of mud, 
they must inevitably have been suffocated: a disaster 
which the late enterprising traveller, Mr. Park, very 
narrowly escaped when crossing the Great Desert of 
Sahara, in his way to explore the sources of the Niger. 
Short of provisions, destitute of water, his throat parched 
with thirst, and his strength rapidly failing, he heard a 
wind sounding from ^ the east; and regarding it as the 
sure harbinger of rain, the thirsty traveller instinctively 
opened his mouth to catch the cooling drops ; but it was 
instantly filled with scorching sand drifted from the desert. 

* Paxton's Illustrations, vol. i. pp. 206—208. Bruce's Travels, voL 
vi. p. 462, et seq. 



LOCAL CALAMITIES. 



69 



In order to avoid suffocation, Mr. Park turned his 
back to the sweeping blast, and remained motionless 
till it had passed over him.* 

The whirlwind sometimes tears up trees by their 
roots, and throws down cottages — scattering the frag- 
ments in every direction. " Behold, a whirlwind of the 
Lord is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind : 
it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked.'' 
(Jer. xxiii. 19.) 

This fatal wind blows most frequently from the south, 
and is then attended with infinitely greater danger to the 
hapless traveller, whom it overtakes in the Nubian wilds. f 
It is, therefore, with strict propriety, that the sacred 
writers distinguish from all others the whirlwinds of the 
south ; and with peculiar force and beauty, compare the 
sudden approach of calamity to their impetuous and 
destructive career. " / also will laugh at your calamities ; 
I will mock when your fear cometh ; when your fear cometh 
as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirl- 
wind : when distress irc^ anguish cometh upon you.'' 
Whole caravans have been overwhelmed in a moment by 
the immense masses of sand which it puts in motion. 
The Arab who conducted Mr. Bruce through the frightful 
deserts of Senaar, pointed out to him a spot among some 
sandy hillocks, where the ground seemed to be more 
elevated than the rest, where one of the largest caravans 
which ever came out of Egypt was buried in the sand, to 
the number of several thousand camels. This awful phe- 
nomenon, Addison has well described in the following 
lines, which he puts into the mouth of Syphax, a Numi- 
dian prince : — 

So where our wide Numidian states extend, 
Sudden the impetuQus hurricanes descend ; 



* Park's Travels, p. 178. 



t Maillet. 



70 



LOCAL CALAMITIES. 



Wheel throuc^h the air, in circling eddies play, 
Tear up the sands, and sweep whole plains away. 
The helpless traveller, with wild surprise. 
Sees the dry desert all around him rise. 
And, smothered in the dusty whirlwind, dies." * 

4. Locusts. The Land of Canaan has often been 
laid waste by armies of devastating locusts. These 
winged depredators come in countless hosts^ so as often 
to intercept the light of the sun^ and bring a temporary 
darkness over the land. (Psalm cv. 34; Nahum iii* 
15.) These animated clouds sometimes extend above 
a mile in length, and half a mile in breadth. Wherever 
they alight, the earth is covered with them for the 
space of several leagues, and they sometimes form a 
solid bed six or seven inches deep. Every thing edible 
disappears before them ; every blade of grass, and every 
vestige of vegetation. Corn-fields are cut down in an 
hour ; plantations of figs and olives are laid waste ; trees, 
stripped of their bark and dismantled of their foliage, 
are reduced to naked and leafiess boughs; the desolate 
image of winter is stamped as by magic on the rich and 
verdant scenery of summer; and the land which before 
was as the garden of Eden, appears a barren wilderness, 
as if it had been laid waste by fire. (Joel i. 6, 7.) What 
aggravates this calamity is, that when one host is de- 
parted, it is often succeeded by a second, and even by a 
third or fourth, so that if anything has escaped the 
rapacity of the first company, it is inevitably consumed by 
those which follow. 

These predatory locusts are larger than those which 
ccasionally visit the southern parts of Europe, being five 
or six inches long, and as thick as a man^s finger. They 



* Paxton's Illustrations, pp. 208, 209. 



LOCAL CALAMITIES. 



71 



have a large open mouth, and their jaws are armed with 
four incisive teeth, which traverse each other like scissors, 
and from their peculiar mechanism are adapted to grasp 
and cut everything of which they lay hold. These teeth 
are so sharp and strong, that the prophet, by a bold figure, 
describes them as the " teeth of a great lion." (Joel i. 6.) 
Their head is shaped like that of a horse ; hence they are 
said to have the appearance of horses ;" and on account 
of the celerity of their movements, they are compared to 
horsemen in full gallop, (Joel ii. 4,) and also to horses 
prepared for battle. (Rev. ix. 7.) "A fire devoureth 
before them, and behind them a flame burneth ; the land is 
as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate 
ivilderness ; yea, and nothing shall escape them. The 
appearance of them is as the appearance of horses ; and as 
horsemen, so shall they run. Like the noise of chariots on 
the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a 
flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people 
set in battle array. Before their face the people shall be 
much pained : all faces shall gather blackness. They shall 
run like mighty men ; they shall climb the wall like men 
of war ; and they shall march every one on his ways, and 
they shall not break their ranks, neither shall one thrust 
another. They shall walk every one in his path ; and when 
they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. They 
shall run to and fro in the city ; they shall run upon the 
wall, they shall climb up upon the houses ; they shall enter 
in at the windows like a thief. (Joel ii. 3 — 9.) The 
whole of this graphic imagery is true to nature; every 
item records an accredited reality. The Rev. Mr. Hartley^ 
who visited Thyatira in June, 1826, speaking of these 
destructive insects, says, I am perfectly astonished at 
their multitudes. They are, indeed, ^ as a strong people set 
in battle array ; they run like mighty men ; they climb the 
walls like men of war.^ I actually saw them * run to and 



72 



LOCAL CALAMITIES. 



fro in the city of Thyatira ; they ran upon the wall, they 
climbed up upon the houses ; they entered into the windows 
like a thief.' This is, however^ by bo means one of the 
most formidable armies of locusts which are known in these 
countries/^* 

In Persia, as soon they appear, the gardeners make 
loud shouts, to prevent them from settling on their grounds. 
To this custom the prophet alludes : — " Surely I ivill fill 
thee with men as with locusts, and they shall lift up theib, 
VOICE AGAINST THEE." (Jer. li. 14.) Somctimes they 
dig pits and trenches, and fill them with water, or kindle 
fires of stubble in them ; but the living mass moves on re- 
gardless of these obstacles, and rank pressing upon rank, 
fills up the trenches and extinguishes the fires. Nothing 
can impede their progress ; they climb over every obstruc- 
tion, entering the inmost recesses of the houses, adhering 
to the clothes of the inhabitants, and even infesting their 
food. (See allusions to this scourge in Nahum iii. 17 ; 
Prov. XXX. 27 ; Judges vi. 5 ; Jer. xlvi. 23 ; Exod. x. 15 ; 
Duet, xxviii. 38—42.) 

One of the most grievous calamities ever inflicted by the 
locust, happened to the regions of Africa in the time of the 
Romans, and fell with peculiar weight on those parts which 
were subject to their empire. Scarcely recovered from the 
miseries of the last Punic war, Africa was doomed to sufifer, 
about 123 years b. c, another desolation, as terrible as it 
was unprecedented. An immense number of locusts 
covered the whole country, consumed every plant and 
every blade of grass in the field, without sparing the roots, 
and also the leaves of the trees, with the tendrils upon 
which they grew. These being exhausted, they penetrated 
with their teeth the bark, however bitter, and even ate 
away the dry and sohd timber. After they had accom- 



* Missir nary Register, July, 1827. 



LOCAL CALAMITIES. 



73 



plished this terrible destruction, a sudden blast of wind 
dispersed them into different portions, and after tossing 
them awhile in the air, plunged their innumerable hosts 
into the sea. But the deadly scourge was not yet at an 
end ; the raging billows threw up enormous heaps of their 
dead and corrupted bodies upon the coast, which produced 
a most insupportable and poisonous stench. This soon 
brought on a pestilence, which affected every species of 
animals ; so that birds, and sheep, and cattle, and even the 
wild beasts of the field, perished in great numbers ; and 
their carcases, being soon rendered putrid by the foulness 
of the air, added greatly to the general corruption. The 
destruction of the human species was horrible. In 
Numidia, where at that time Micipsa was king, eighty 
thousand persons died ; and in that part of the sea-coast 
which bordered upon the region of Carthage and Utica, 
two hundred thousand are said to have been carried off by 
this pestilence.* 

In Egypt and xirabia, locusts form an important article 
of food. The modern Arabs either toast them before a 
fire, or boil them with oil and salt, and sometimes preserve 

* Orasius, as quoted by Harmer„ See also Paxton's Illustrations, 
vol. i. pp. 320, 321. The inhabitants of Syria have observed that locusts 
are always bred by too mild vs^inters, and that they constantly come from 
the deserts of Arabia. When they breed, which is in the month of 
October, they make a hole in the ground with their tails, and having laid 
three hundred eggs in it, and covered them up with their feet, expire ; 
they never live above six months and a half. Neither rains nor frost, 
however long and severe, can destroy their eggs ; they continue till 
spring, and, hatched by the heat of the sun, the young locusts issue 
from the earth about the middle of April. (Volney's Travels in Egypt 
and Syria, vol. i. p. 28G. Harmer's Observations, vol. iii. p. 319. 
Shaw's Travels, vol. i. pp. 340—343. Sir William Ouseley's Travels 
in Persia, vol. i. 195 — 200. Dodwell's Classical and Topographical 
Tour, vol. i. p. 214, et seq.) 



L 



74 



LOCAL CALAMITIES. 



them in vinegar.* This was, doubtless, the diet of John 
the Baptist, and not the fruit of the locust-tree, as some 
have supposed. 

5. Famine. The devastations caused by the locusts, as 
also the absence of rain, and the ravages of war, frequently 
produce a scarcity of food, and sometimes absolute famine. 
This, too, is a calamity from which the countries of the 
East have, at dilferent times, suflered severely. Instances 
are upon record of besieged cities whose inhabitants have 
been reduced to such extremities, from the want of provi- 
sions, til at they have been driven to eat, not only unclean 
and prohibited animals, but even the flesh of their own 
offspring. One of the most appalling and destructive 
calamities by which this region is visited remains yet to be 
mentioned. 

6. The Simoom, or Pestilential Blast of the De- 
sert; by the Arabs, termed the Sam Wind; by the Persians, 
the Samoun ; by the Turks, the Simoom or Samiel; by the 
prophet Isaiah, the " Blast of the Terrible Ones and by 
Jeremiah, a dry Wind of the high places in the Wilder- 
ness.'^ But no language can fully describe its destructive 
power. It resembles the breath of a glowing furnace, de- 
stroying ail symptoms of vegetation ; and even during the 
night, scorches the skin in the most painful manner. It 
comes charged with pernicious vapours, and fills the atmo- 
sphere v/ith a subtle dust which prevents respiration ; and 
so poisonous is its breath, so impregnated is it with the 
elements of death, that it instantly suffocates those who 
are so unfortunate as to inhale it ; especially if it overtake 
them when standing upright. Thevenot mentions a 
Simoom which, in 1658, suffocated twenty thousand per- 
sons in one night; and another which, in 1655, had suf- 
focated four thousand. 

* Pliny, Hist. Nat. lib. ^ i. c. 30, and lib. x. c. 38. Journal of the 
British Embassy to Persia, p. 6. 



LOCAL CALAMITIES. 



75 



Mr. Jackson, in his journey overland from India, had 
an opportunity of observing on the river Tigris, the 
progress of these destructive blasts, particularly between 
twelve and three o^clock, when the atmosphere is 
at its greatest degree of heat. Their force, in his 
opinion, entirely depends on the surface over which they 
pass. If their career is over a desert, where no vege- 
tation rises to retard it, they extend their dimensions 
wdth amazing velocity ; and then their dii'ection is 
occasionally to windward. When their flight is over 
grass, or sluj other vegetation, they lose much of th^^ir 
force. When it is over a watery surface, they lose all 
their electrical power and ascend ; yet he sometimes 
felt their effects across a river more than a mile broad. 
He mentions the foUo\^ang circumstance in proof of his 
assertion : Mr. Stephens, a fellow-traveller, was bathing 
in the Tigris, having on a pair of Turkish drawers. On 
his return from the water, a hot wind came across the 
river, which made himself and his drawers dry in an 
instant. Mr. Jackson declares he was present, and felt 
the force of the wind, and saw the effect, else he could not 
have believed it.* 

The account which Mr. Bruce gives of this wind 
and of its effects is too remarkable to be omitted. 
On the 16th November, at eleven o^ clock, a. m., 
Idris, the native guide, cried out with a loud voice, 
" Fall on your face, for here is the Simoom V Our 
celebrated traveller upon this turned round, and saw 
coming from the south-east, a haze in colour like the 
pui'ple part of the rainbow, but not so compressed. It 
did not occupy twenty yards in breadth, and was about 
twelve feet high from the ground. It was a kind of 
blush upon the air, and moved with great rapidity; 

* Jackson's Journey, &c. 



LOCAL CALAMITIES. 



he coiM. scarcely turn to fall upon the ground with his 
head northward_, when he felt the heat of its current 
plainly upon his face. The light air which blew for 
some time after the meteor or purple haze had passed, 
wa.s of a heat to threaten suffocation. On the 20th of 
the same month, they had another visit from this 
terrible adversary. The coloured haze on this occasion 
seemed to be rather less compressed, and to have with 
it a shade of blue. The edges of it were not defined 
as those of the former, but like a very thin smoke, with 
about a yard in the middle tinged with those colours. 
They all fell upon their faces, and the Simoom passed 
with a gentle ruffling wind. It continued to blow in 
this manner till near three o^ clock ; they were all taken 
ill that night, and hardly strength was left tL?m to 
load the camels and arrange the baggage. The effects 
of a third visit were still more injurious ; it produced 
a desperate kind of indifference about life ; it brought 
upon him a degree of cowardice and languor, with 
which he struggled in vain ; and it completely ex- 
hausted his strength.* 

Campbell, in his Travels, happily designates it a 
horrid wind, whose consuming blasts extend their 
ravages all the way from the extreme end of the gulf of 
Cambaya up to Mosul. It carries along with it flakes 
of fire, like threads of silk ; instantly strikes dead those 
who breathe it, and co^isumes them inwardly to ashes ; 
the flesh soon becoming black as a coal, and dropping 
off the bones. t As the principal stream or body of this 

* Bruce' s Tra-vels. 

f The reader will find much interesting information on this subject 
in Paxton's Illustrations, vol. i. pp. 209—214. Home's Introduction, 
vol. iii, pp. 76, 77. Harmer's Observations, vol. i. pp. 94—96. Bruce's 
Travels, vol. vi. pp. 462, 463, 484. Sir R. K. Porter's Travels in 
Georgia, Persia, &c,, vol. ii. p. 230. Morier's Second Journey, p. 43. 



LOCAL CALAMITIES. 



77 



wind always moves in a direct line^ about twenty yards 
in breadth_, and twelve feet in height above the surface 
of the earth, travellers in the desert, when they per- 
ceive its approach, throw themselves prostrate on the 
earth, with their face close to the burning sand, and 
then wrap their heads in their robes, or in a piece of 
carpet, and remain motionless till the burning blast 
has passed over them. 

The camels, instinctively aware of its approach, bury 
their heads in the sand ; nor is it possible, by any effort, 
to induce them to move until the danger is past. The 
following highly interesting account of a Simoom which 
occurred near Darkisch, the capital of the Wahabites, is 
furnished by the pen of a modern traveller : — " We arose 
with the sun, and went out to saddle our dromedaries, 
when we found, to our great surprise, that their heads 
were buried in the sand; and it was not possible for us 
to draw them out. We called the Bedouins of the tribe 
to our aid, who informed us that the instinct of the camels 
led them to conceal their heads thus, in order to escape 
the Simoom ; that their doing so was an infallible presage 
of that terrible tempest of the desert, which would not be 
long in breaking loose ; and that we could not proceed on 
the journey without meeting a certain death. The camels, 
who perceive the approach of this fearful storm two or 
three hours before it bursts, turn themselves to the side 
opposed to the v^dnd, and dig into the sand. It is impos- 
sible to make them stir from that position either to eat or 
drink, during the whole tempest, were it to last for several 
days. Providence has endowed them with this instinct of 
preservation, which never deceives them. When we learnt 
with what we were threatened, we partook the general con- 
Jackson's Journey. Hasselquist's Travels. Relaiidi Palestiua, torn, 
i- pp. 378 — 391. Schulzii Archsslogia Hebraica, pp. 9 — 10. Pareau, 
Autiquitas Hebraica, &c. &c. 



78 



LOCAL CALAMITIES. 



sternation^ and hastened to take all the precautions which 
they pointed out to us. It is not sufficient to put the horses 
under shelter ; it is requisite also to cover their heads and 
stop up their ears^ otherwise they will be suffocated by 
the whirlwinds of fine impalpable sand, which the storm 
sweeps furiously before it. The men collect under the 
tents, block up the crevices with the greatest care, and 
provide a supply of water, which they keep within reach ; 
they then lie down on the ground, their heads covered 
with the mashlas, and thus remain all the time that the 
Tornado continues. 

The camp was thrown into the greatest tumult, each 
bent on providing safety for his cattle, and afterwards 
withdrawing precipitately under his tent. We had scarcely 
got our beautiful Negde mares under cover ere the tempest 
burst. Impetuous blasts of wind hurled clouds of red and 
burning sand in eddies, and overthrew all upon which their 
fury fell ; or, heaping up hills, they buried all that had 
strength to resist being carried away. If, at this period, 
any part of the body be exposed,, the flesh is scorched as if 
a hot iron had touched it. The water, which was intended 
to cool us, began to boil, and the temperature of the tent 
exceeded that of a Turkish bath. The hurricane blew in 
all its fury for six hours, and gradually subsided during six 
more; an hour longer, and I believe we had been all 
stifled. When we ventured to leave the tents^ a frightful 
spectacle presented itself; five children, two women, and a 
man, were lying dead on the still burning sand, and several 
Bedouins had their faces blackened and entirely calcined, 
as if by a blast from a fiery furnace. When the wind of 
the Simoom strikes an unfortunate wretch on the head, the 
blood gushes in streams from his mouth and nostrils, his 
face swells, becomes black, and he shortly dies of sufibca 
tion.''* 

* Lamartine's Travels in the East, p. 213. 



LOCAL CALAMITIES. 



79 



Those who have been smitten by the Simoom present a 
remarkable phenomenon. They appear^ at a superficial 
glance^ to be sleeping- ; but if an arm or leg be smartly 
shaken^ or lifred up suddenly, it separates from the body, 
which soon afcer becomes black and putrid. Dr. Clarke, 
when travelling from Tiberias to Napolose, was overtaken 
by a Simoom in the plain of Esdraelon. He represents it 
as far more insufferable than the sun. Its parching in- 
fluence pervaded all places ; and coming as from a furnace, 
it seemed to threaten the whole party with suffocation. 
Dr. Clarke himself was the first who sustained any serious 
injury from the fiery blast, being attacked with giddiness, 
accom.panied with burning thirst. Headache, and frequent 
fits of shivering ensued ; and these ended in violent fever. 
For some time, extended on the ground, he vainly endea- 
voured to obtain some repose. 

This wind derives its noxious qualities from passing over 
the hot sands of the desert, when scorched by the intense 
rays of a tropical sun. 

Hence at Mecca, it blows from the east; at Bagdad, 
from the west ; and at Bazra, from the north-west. So 
charged is it with electricity, that it sometimes dries up 
the skins of water in an instant, destroys whole fields of 
corn, and withers every blade of grass, which is so inoculated 
with its poisonous properties that no animal will touch it. 
The figui'e employed by the Sacred Historian, of corn 
blasted before it be grown iip'^ is evidently borrowed from 
this circumstance; and the Psalmist evidently alludes to 
the withering influence of the Simoom in Psa. ciii. 15, 16 : 
— " As for man, his clays are as grass; as a flower of the 
field so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, 
AND IT IS GONE,^^ &c. It was probably this buiming blast 
that so painfully oppressed the prophet Jonah : — And it 
came to pass when the sun did arise, that God prepared a 
vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head oj 



80 



LOCAL CALAMITIES. 



Jonah, and he fainted, and wished himself to die, and said, 
It is better for me to die than to live.'' (Jonah iv. 8.) 
Dr. Prideaux is of opinion, that the SiEioom was the 
instrument employed by the Almiglity for the de- 
struction of Sennacherib^s army. This accords with 
the prophetic intimation that God would send a blast 
upon him ; (Isa. xxxvii: 7 ;) and also with the narrative 
of the event. " Then the angel (or, as it may be ren- 
dered, the messenger) of the Lord went forth, and smote 
in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and 
five thousand." (ver. 36.) Now, this messenger of the 
Most High is expressly called, in ver. 7th, a blast, or 
wind. See also allusions to this terrible agent in Isa. 
XXV. 4, 5, and Hosea xiii. 15. 

We cannot better close this chapter than with the 
graphic and appalling description of desert travelling 
in the East given by Mr. Belzoni : — It is difficult to 
form a correct idea of a desert, without having been in 
one. It is an endless plain of sand and stones, some- 
times intermixed with mountains of all sizes and 
heights, without roads or shelter, without any sort oi 
produce for food. The few scattered trees and shrubs 
of thorns, that only appear when the rainy season 
leaves some moisture, barely serve to feed wild animals 
and a few bu^ds. Everything is left to nature; the 
wandering inhabitants do not care to cultivate even 
these few plants ; and when there is no more of them 
in one place, they go to another, When these trees 
become old and lose their vegetation, the sun, which 
constantly beams upon them, burns and reduces them 
to ashes. I have seen many of them entirely burnt. 
The other smaller plants have no sooner risen out of 
the earth than they are dried up, and all take the 
colour of straw, with the exception of the plant harak , 
this falls off before it is dry. Generally speaking, in 



LOCAL CALAMITIES. 



81 



a desert, there are few springs of water ; some of tliein 
at the distance of four, six, and eight days^ jom-nev 
from one another, and not all of sweet water : on the 
contrary, it is generally salt or bitter; so that if the 
thii'stv traveller drink of it, it increases his thirst, and 
he suffers more than before. But, when the calamity 
happens, that the next well, which is so anxiously 
sought for, is found dry, the misery of such a situation 
cannot be well described. 

The camels, which afford the only means of escape, 
are so thirsty that they cannot proceed to another 
well : and if the travellers kill them, to extract the 
little liquid which remains in their stomachs, they 
themselves cannot advance any farther. The situation 
must be dreadful, and admits of no resource. Many 
perish, victims of the most horrible thirst. It is then that 
the value of a cup of water is really felt. He that has 
a zenzabia of it is the richest of all. In such a case 
there is no distinction. If the master has none, the 
servant will not give it to him : for very few are the 
instances, where a man will voluntarily lose his life to 
save that of another; particularly in a caravan in the 
desert, where people are strangers to each other. 
TVliat a situation for a man, though a rich one, perhaps 
he owner of all the caravan ! He is dying for a cup of 
water — no one gives it to him — he offers all he possesses — 
no one hears him, they are all dying ; though by walking 
a few hom^s farther they might be saved. If the 
camels are lying down, and cannot be made to rise — 
tno one has strength to lualk — only he who lias a glass of 
that precious liquor lives to walk a mile farther, and 
then, perhaps, dies too. If the voyages on seas are 
dangerous, so are those in the deserts. At sea, the 
provisions often fail ; in the desert it is worse. At sea, 
storms are met with ; in the desert, there cannot be a 



M 



82 



LOCAL CALAMITIES. 



greater storm than to find a dry well. At sea^ one meets 
with pirates — we escape — we surrender — we die ; in the 
desert, they rob the traveller of all his property and water ; 
they let him live, perhaps, but what a life ! to die the most 
barbarous and agonizing death. In short, to be thirsty in 
a desert — without water — exposed to the burning sun — 
without shelter — and no hope of finding either , is the 
most terrible situation that a man can be placed in, and one 
of the greatest sufferings that a human being can sustain. 
The eyes grow inflamed; the tongue and lips swell; a 
hollow sound is heard in the ears, which brings on deafness ; 
and the brain appears to grow thick and inflamed : all these 
feelings arise from the want of a little water. In the midst 
of all this misery, the deceitful morasses appear before the 
traveller at no great distance, something like a lake or 
river of clear fresh water. If, perchance, a traveller is not 
undeceived, he hastens his pace to reach it sooner ; the 
more he advances towards it, the more it recedes from him, 
till at last it vanishes entirely, and the deluded passenger 
often asks, where is the water he saw at no great distance ? 
He can scarcely believe that he was so deceived ; he pro- 
tests that he saw the waves running before the wind, arnd 
the reflection of the high rocks in the water. If, unfor- 
tunately, any one falls sick on the road, there is no alterna- 
tive : he must endure the fatigue of travelling on a camel, 
which is troublesome even to healthy people, or be left be- 
hind on the sand, without any assistance, and remain so 
till a slow death come to relieve him. What horror ! what 
a brutal proceeding to an unfortunate sick man ! No one 
remains with him, not even his old and faithful servant ; 
no one will stay and die with him ; all pity his fate, but 
no one will be his companion."* 

* Belzoni's Narrative of his Operations and Researches in Egypt, 
pp. 341—343. 



LOCAL CALAMITIES. 



83 



In another part of the volume, the atmospheric illusion 
referred to in the preceding passage, is described more 
particularly : — " It generally appears like a still lake, so 
unmoved by the wind that everything above is to be seen 
most distinctly reflected by it. If the wind agitate any of 
the plants that rise above the horizon of the mirage, the 
motion is seen perfectly at a great distance. If the 
traveller stand elevated much above the mirage, the 
apparent water seems less united and less deep, for, as the 
eyes look down upon it, there is not thickness enough in 
the vapour on the surface of the ground to conceal the 
earth from the sight ; but, if the traveller be on a level 
with the horizon of the mirage, he cannot see through it, 
so that it appears to him clear water. By putting my 
head first to the ground, and then mounting a camel, (the 
height of which from the ground might have been about 
ten feet at the most,) I found a great difference in the 
appearance of the mirage. On approaching it, it becomes 
thinner, and appears as if agitated by the wind, like a 
field of ripe corn. It gradually vanishes, as the traveller 
approaches, and at last entirely disappears, when he is on 
the spot." (p. 196.) 

The phenomenon here described is produced by a 
diminution of the density of the lower stratum of the- 
atmosphere, which is caused by the increase of heat, 
arising from that communicated by the rays of the sun to 
the sand with which this stratum is in immediate contact. 
This phenomenon existed in the great desert of Judsea, 
and is alluded to by the sublime and elegant Isaiah, who, 
when predicting the blessings attendant on the Messiahs 
kingdom, says, — 

" The glowing sand shall become a pool, 
And the thirsty soil bubbling springs." * 

• Isaiah xxxv. 7. Bishop Lowth's Translation. 



84> 



LOCAL CALAxMITIES. 



And Jeremiah evidently refers to the mirage when, 
pouring forth his complaint to God for mercies deferred, 
ne says, " Wilt thou he altogether unto me as waters that 
oe not sure ? " (xv. 18, marg.) that is, (as the Septuagint 
renders it,) which have no reeJMy.^ 

* Hom3 vol jp. 62. 



CHAPTER in. 



MOUNTAINS, VALLEYS, AND PLAINS 
OP PALESTINE. 

Mountains of Palestine; Lebanon— Hermon — Carmel — Tabor — 
Gilead — Abarim — Gilboa— Israel — Beatitudes — Salmon or Zalmon— 
Gaash — Olivet — CaWaiy. Yalleys of Palestine ; Zebulun — Jordan — 
Rephaim — Jehoshaphat — Hinnom — Bochim — Berachah — Yale of Sid- 
dim — Elah— Yale of Salt. Plains of Palestine ; Esdraelon — Jericho — 
Mediterranean. 

''Palestine is, in general, a mountainous country; 
even tlie whole of Syria, of whicli tlie Holy Land is 
reckoned a part, is in some degree a chain of moun- 
tains, branching off in various directions, from one 
great and leading ridge. Whether the traveller ap- 
proach it from the sea, or from the immense plains of 
the desert, he beholds at a great distance, a lofty and 
clouded chain running north and south as far as the 
eye can reach j and as he advances, sees the tops of the 
mountains, sometimes detached, and sometimes united 
in ridges, uniformly terminate in one great line, tower- 
ing above them all. This line, which extends without 
interruption, from its entry by the north, quite into 
Arabia, runs at first close to the sea, between Alexan- 
dretta and the Orontes ; and, after opening a passage 
to that river, proceeds to the southward, quitting for a 
short distance the shore, and in a chain of summits 



!56 



MOUNT LEBANON. 



stretches as far as the sources of the J ordan ; where it 
divides into two branches^ to enclose, as it were, in a 
capacions basin, this river and its three lakes. During 
its coui'se, a countless number of branches sepai'ate 
from the main trunk, some of which are lost in the 
desert, where they form various enclosed hollows, as 
those of Damascus and Haran ; while others advance 
towards the sea, where they sometimes end in steep 
dechvities, as at Carmel or Nekoura, or by a gentle 
descent, sink into the plains of Antioch and Tripoh, of 
Tyre and Acre. Such is the general appearance of the 
countiy which Moses taught the people to expect, 
while they traversed the burning and dreary wilder- 
ness : — ^For the land whither thou goest in to possess 
it, is not as the land of Egypt from whence ye came 
out, where thou sow^edst thy seed, and wateredst it with 
thy foot as a garden of herbs ; but the land whither ye 
go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and 
drinketh water of the rain of heaven.^ " (Dent. xi. 10, 
11.)* The most celebrated mountains of Palestine are 
those of Lebanon, Carmel, and Tabor, the mountains 
of Israel west of Jordan, and those of Gilead be- 
yond it. 

LEBANON. 

This is not a .singie isolated mountain, but rather a long 
chain or range of mountaiDs, exten ling; from the neigh- 
bourhood of Sidon on the west, to the vicinity of Damascus 
eastward, and forming the extreme northern boundarv of 
the Holy Land. Lebanon is the centre, or nucleiis, o ' all 
the mountain-ridges which, from the north, the south an i 
"■"^^ east, converge towards this point, which overtops them 
all. This configuration of the mountains, and the supe- 

* Paxton's Illustrations, vol. i. p. 118. 



MOUNT LEBANON. 



87 



riority of Lebanon, are particularly striking to the traveller 
approaching both from the Mediterranean on the west, and 
the Desert on the east. On either side, he first discovers, 
at a great distance, a clouded ridge, stretching from north 
to south, to the extreme limits of the horizon ; the central 
summits of which are capped with clouds, or tipped with 
snow. * 

" At every step, he meets with scenes in which nature 
displays beauty or grandeur, sometimes romantic wildness, 
but always variety. The sublime elevation and steep 
ascent of this magnificent rampart, which seems to enclose 
the country; the gigantic masses which shoot into the 
clouds, — inspire him with astonishment and reverence. 
Should he scale those summits which bounded his view, 
and ascend the highest point of Lebanon, distinguished by 
the name of Sannin, the immensity of space which ex- 
pands around him, becomes a fresh subject of admiration. 
On every side, he beholds a horizon without bounds ; 
whilst, in clear weather, the sight is lost over the desert, 
which extends to the Persian gulf, and over the sea, which 
washes the coasts of Europe. He seems to command the 
whole world ; while the wandering eye, now surveying the 
successive chains of mountains, transports the mind in one 
instant, from Antioch to Jerusalem ; and now, approach- 
ing the surrounding objects, observes the distant profundity 
of the coast, till the attention at last fixed by distincter 
objects, more minutely examines the rocks, the woods, the 
torrents, the sloping sides of the hills, the villages and the 
towns ; and the mind secretly exults at the diminution of 
objects, which formerly appeared so great. He sees the 
valleys obscured by stormy clouds, with fresh delight, and 
smiles at hearing the thunder, which so often burst over 
his head, growling beneath his feet ; while the threatening 



* Mansford's Gazetteer, p. HI 4. 



88 



MOUNT LEBANON. 



summits of the mountains are diminished^ till they appear 
like the furrows of a ploughed field, or the steps of an 
amphitheatre, and he feels himself gratified by an elevation 
above so many lofty objects, on which he now looks down 
with inward satisfaction, 

On visiting the interior parts of these mountains, 
the roughness of thie roads, the steep descents and 
precipices, strike him at first with terror ; but the sagacity 
of the mule which he rides, the only beast of burden 
which can traverse them with safety, soon relieves him, 
and he calmly surveys those picturesque scenes that 
entertain him in quick succession. There he travels 
whole days together, to reach a place which was in sight 
at his departure ; he winds, descends, skirts the hills, and 
climbs their precipitous sides ; and in this perpetual 
change, it seems as if magic herself varied for him at 
every step, the decorations of the scenery. Sometimes 
he sees villages gliding from the steep declivities on which 
they are built, and so arranged that the terraces of one 
row of houses serve as a street "to those above them. 
Sometimes he sees the habitation of a recluse, standing 
on a sohtary height ; here a rock, perforated by a 
torrent, and become a natural arch ; there another rock, 
worn perpendicular, resembles a high wall. On the 
sides of the hills, he frequently sees beds of stones 
jncovered and detached by the waters, rising up like 
artificial ruins. In many places, the waters meeting with 
inclined beds, have excavated the intermediate earth, 
and formed caverns; in others, subterraneous channels 
are formed, through which flow rivulets for a part of the 
year. 

These picturesque situations often become tragical. By 
thaws and earthquakes, rocks have been known to lose 

* Volney'a Travels, vol. i. p. 203. 



MOUNT LEBANON. 



89 



their equilibrium^ roll down on the neighbouring houses, 
and bury the inhabitants. This happened about twenty 
years before Volney^s visit, when a fragment of the moun- 
tain, slipping from its base, overwhelmed a whole village, 
without leaving a single trace where it formerly stood. 
Still more lately, and near the same place, says that 
traveller, the entire side of a hill covered with mulberries 
and vines, was detached by a sudden thaw, and sliding 
down the rock, was launched like a ship from the stocks, 
into the valley below. It might be supposed, that such 
accidents would disgust the inhabitants of those mountains ; 
but, besides tliat they happen seldom, they are compen- 
sated by an advantage, which makes them prefer their 
perilous habitations to the most stable and fertile plains, — 
the security they enjoy from the oppressions of the Turks. 
This security is esteemed so great a blessing by the inhabit- 
ants, that they have discovered an industry on these rocks, 
which we may elsewhere expect in vain. By mere art and 
labour they have fertilized a rocky soil. Sometimes to gain 
the water, they conduct it by a thousand windings along 
the declivities, or stop it by dams in the valleys : while in 
other places, they support the ground, ready to crumble 
down, by walls and terraces. Almost all these moun- 
tains cultivated in this manner, have the appearance of 
a flight of stairs, or an amphitheatre, every step of 
which is a row of vines or mulberry trees. Our author 
computed from a hundred to a hundred and twenty 
of these gradations on the same declivity, la many 
places, their summits are flattened and stretched into 
vast plains ; which reward the toil of the cultivator with 
luxuriant crops of corn and all kinds of pulse. Nume- 
rous rivulets of excellent water intersect these elevated 
regions, and diffuse on every side the richest verdure. 
The soil which covers the declivities and the narrow 
valleys which separate them,, is extremely fertile, and 



90 



MOUNT LEBANON. 



produces in abundance corn, wine, and oil, which D'Ai-vieux 
pronounces the best in Syria/-' * 

Lebanon is divided into two principal ridges, or ranges, 
which run parallel to each other ; that on the west is called 
Libanus, that on the east Anti-Libanus. With respect to 
the height of this stupendous mountain-range, as it does 
not appear ever to have been measured, the only rule to be 
applied is that derived from the line of perpetual congela- 
tion ; beyond which, it is evident, its highest summits 
lift themselves. Now this line, for the latitude of Lebanon, 
(33",) is about 11,000 feet. This must be the lowest 
elevation of its principal summits ; and as they rise to this 
immense height with a steep and precipitous ascent, and 
their crags hang over in wild gigantic masses, they present 
to the eye of the traveller, as he advances towards them^ 
from the Mediterranean sea on one side, or the no less un- 
broken flatness of the desert on the other, a scene of in- 
describable majesty and grandeur. Owing to its vast alti- 
tude, the loftiest peaks of Lebanon are covered with per- 
petual snow. Maundrell found that part of the mountain 
which he crossed, and v>^hich, in ail probability, was by no 
means the highest, covered with deep snow in the month 
of May. Dr. Clarke, in the month of July, saw some of 
the eastern summits of Lebanon, or Anti-Libanus, near 
Damascus, covered with snow. It was not lying in patches, 
as is common in the summer season with mountains which 
border on the line of perpetual congelation but do not 
quite reach it, but " with that perfectly white, smooth, anC^ 
velvet-like appearance which snow only exhibits when it is 
very deep — a striking spectacle in such a climate, where 
the beholder, seeking protection from a burning sun, 
almost considers the firmament to be on fire.''"' At the 
time this observation was made, the thermometer, in an 

* Paxton's Illustrations, pp. 124— 127. 



MOUNT LEBANON. 



PI 



elevated situation near the Sea of Tiberias^ stood at 102^" 
in tlie sliade. Sir Frederick Henniker passed over snow 
here in July; and Ali Bey describes the same eastern 
ridge as covered vritb snow in September. From this 
circumstance the ancient name of Lebanon^ and the 
modern appellation of Gibl Leban, (both, signifying the 
White Mountain,) were doubtless derived. The tempera- 
ture of these mountains is so various^ at different degrees 
of elevation, that the Arabian poets say, "Lebanon bears 
winter on his head, spring upon his shoulders, and 
autumn in his bosom, while summer lies sleeping at his 
feet.^^ 

" The beauties of Lebanon appear to have made a deep 
impression on the mind of D^Ar\ieux. After travelling 
six hours in pleasant valleys, says that writer, and over 
mountains covered with different species of trees, we 
entered a small plain, on a fertile hill wholly covered 
with walnut-trees and olives, in the middle of which is 
the village of Eden. — In spite of my weariness, I could 
not but incessantly admire this beautiful country. It 
is truly an epitome of the terrestrial paradise, of which 
it bears the name. Eden is rather a hamlet than a 
village. The houses are scattered, and separated from 
each other by gardens, which are enclosed by walls 
made of stones piled up without mortar. 

We quitted Eden about eight o^ clock in the morniug, 
and advanced to mountains so extremely high, tliat we 
seemed to be travelling in the middle regions of the 
atmosphere. Here the sky was clear and serene above 
us, while we saw below us thick clouds dissolving in 
rain and watering the plains. 

After three hours of laborious travelling, we arrived 
at the famous cedars jibout eleven o^clock. We counted 
twenty-three of them. The circumference of these trees 
is thirty -six feet. 



MOUNT LEBANON. 



The bark of the cedar resembles that of the pine. The 
leaves and cone also bear considerable resemblance. 
The stem is upright^ the wood is hard, and has the re- 
putation of being incorruptible. The leaves are long, 
narrow, rough, very green, ranged in tufts along the 
branches ; they shoot in spring, and fall in the beginning 
of winter. Its flowers and fruit resemble those of the 
pine. From the full-grown trees, a fluid trickles natu- 
rally, and without incision; this is clear, transparent, 
whitish, and after a time dries and hardens ; it is sup- 
posed to possess great virtues. — The place where these 
great trees are stationed, is a plain of nearly a league in 
circumference, on the summit of a mount which is en- 
vironed almost on all sides by other mounts, so high that 
their summits are always covered with snow. This plain 
is level, the air is pure, the heavens always serene. On 
one side of this plain is a frightful precipice, from whence 
flows a copious stream, which, descending into the valley, 
forms a considerable part of the Holy river, or Nahr 
Kadisha. The view along this valley is interesting ; and 
the crevices of the rocks are filled with earth of so ex- 
cellent a quality, that trees grow in them ; and being 
continually refreshed with the vapours rising from the 
streams below, attain to considerable dimensions. Nor is 
the sense of smelling less gratified than that of sight, by 
the fragrance diff'used from the odoriferous plants 
around. 

He afterwards says, ' The banks of the river appeared 
enchanted. This stream is principally formed by the 
source which issues below the cedars, but is continually 
augmented by a prodigious number of rills and foun- 
tains, which fall from the mountain, gliding along the 
clefts of the rocks, and forming many charming natural 
cascades, which communicate cooling breezes, and banish 
the idea of being in a country subject to extreme heat. 



MOUNT LEBANON. 



93 



If to these enjoyments we add that of the nightingale's 
song, it must be granted that these places are infinitely 
agreeable/ 

Lamartine thus describes an excursion from Beyrout 
to the Maronite monastery of Antoura : — 

" On quitting Beyrout, we proceeded for an hour 
along the banks of the sea, beneath a canopy of trees 
of all foliages and forms. The greater part were fruit- 
trees, figs, pomegranates, oranges, aloes, and fig-syca- 
mores ; the last a gigantic tree, the fruit of which, in 
prodigious quantity, and similar to small figs, did not 
grow at the extremity of the branches, but sticking to 
the trunk and branches like pieces of moss. After 
crossing the river by the Boman bridge, we followed a 
sandy plain to Cape Batroun, formed by an arm from 
Lebanon projected into the sea. This arm is but a 
rock, in wdiich a road has been cut in ancient times, 
whence the view is magnificent. The sides of the rock 
are covered, in several places, with Greek, Latin, and 
Syrian inscriptions, and with figures sculptured out of 
the rock itself, the object and signification of which are 
now lost. It is probable that they have reference to 
the worship of Adonis, formerly prevaihng in these 
districts; he had, according to tradition, temples and 
funeral ceremonies near the spot where he perished. 
It is believed that this spot was on the banks of the 
river that we had just passed. 

After descending from this elevated and picturesque 
road, the country suddenly changed its aspect. The 
eye fell into a narrow and deep gorge, traversed by 
another river, the Nahr-el-Kelb, or river of the Dog. 
It flows in silence between two perpendicular walls of 
rock, two or three hundred feet high. In certain 
places it completely fills the valley, and in others leaves 

* Paxton's Illustrations, 130—132. 



94 



MOUNT LEBANON. 



a narrow margin between its waters and tlie rock. This 
margin is covered witli trees^ sugar-canes, reeds^ and 
brushwood, which form a green thick shade upon the 
banks, at intervals extending over the river itself. A 
ruined khan is perched upon a rock at the edge of the 
water, opposite a narrow bridge, which we crossed with 
trembling. In the sides of the rocks walling up this 
ravine, the Arabs have, with great perseverance, hewed 
out steps to serve as pathways, which hang almost 
plump over the river, which we were compelled, how- 
ever, to climb up, as well as descend, on horseback. 
We abandoned ourselves to the instinct and sure-foot- 
edness of our horses, but we coiold not forbear shutting 
our eyes at certain points, to avoid growing dizzy at the 
frightful declivities, the slipperiness of the rocky steps, 
and the depth of the abyss yawning below. A few 
years ago, the late legate from the Pope to the Maro- 
nites was precipitated down these precipices by a falsr 
step of his horse. 

At the mouth of this pass we found ourselves on an 
elevated table-land, covered with crops, vineyards, and 
small Maronite villages. We perceived, on a knoll before 
us, a handsome new house of Italian architecture, with a 
portico, terraces, and balustrades. It was the residence 
which MonsignorLozanna, bishop of Abydos, and present 
legate of the Holy See in Syria, had caused to be built 
for his muter habitation. In the summer he lives in the 
monastery of Kanoubin, the residence of the patriarch, 
and the ecclesiastical capital of the Maronites. That con- 
vent, being at a much higher elevation on the mountain, 
is almost inaccessible, and nearly buried in snow during 
the winter. Monsignor Lozanna, a man of refined man 
ners, cultivated mind, profound erudition, and strong and 
quick intellect, has been most happily chosen by thf- court 
of Rome to cultivate the political objects and influence 



MOdXT LBBANON. 



95 



of Catholicism amongst the dignified Maronite clergy. He 
would have ably filled a similar mission at Vienna or Paris ; 
he was the representative of those Eoman prelates^ the in- 
heritors of the grand and noble diplomatic traditions of thac 
government where brute force is extinct, and where per- 
sonal ability and dignity are all-prevailing. Monsignor 
Lozanna is a Piedmontese; he is not likely to remain long 
in these solitudes ; Rome will employ him to greater ad- 
vantage upon a more stormy arena. He is one of those 
men who justify fortune, and whose high career is legible 
on his energetic and intellectual countenance. With these 
people he very wisely assumes an Oriental luxury and im- 
posing costume and manners, as mthout these illusions the 
people of Asia, can conceive neither sanctity nor power. 
He has taken the Arab costume ; his prodigious beard, 
carefully combed, falls in golden folds on his purple robe, 
and his full-blood Arab mare rivals in docility and beauty 
the finest mare of a desert scheik. AYe Portly perceived 
him coming towards us, followed by a numerous suite, his 
horse curvetting on the precipices along which we advanced 
with so much precaution. 

After the first compliments, he conducted us to his de- 
lightful villa, where a collation was prepared for us, and 
shortly after he accompanied us to the monastery of An- 
toura, where he provisionally resided. 

We returned to Beyrout by the sea-shore. The moun- 
tains which skirt the coast are covered with monasteries, 
constructed in the style of the Florentine villas of the 
middle ages. A village is perched on each eminence, 
s,urmounted by a forest of spreading pines, and traversed 
by a torrent falling in a brilliant cascade to the foot of a 
ravine. There are little fishing ports along the whole of 
this indented coast, filled with boats moored to the jetties 
or the rocks. Vineyards, barley-fields, and mulberry 
groves, descend from the villages to the sea. The towers 



96 



MOUNT LEBANON. 



to the monasteries and churches rise above the sombre 
verdure of the fig-trees and cypresses. A beach of 
white sand divides the foot of the mountains from the 
clear and blue waves. Two leagues of this country 
might deceive, the eye of the traveller ; if he could for- 
get he was 800 miles from Europe^ he might think 
himself upon the margin of the Lake of Geneva^ between 
Lausanne and V evey, or on th*fe enchanting banks of 
the Saone^ between Macon and Lyons ; but the edging 
of the picture is more majestic at Antoura; and when 
his eyes are raised, he sees the snowy peaks of Sannin 
piercing the sky, and ghttering like streaks of fire/^ * 

Lebanon was long famous for its tall and stately- 
cedars. These trees were remarkable for their size, 
age, and fragrance. They are said to be 300 years 
arriving at maturity — continue 300 years in theii' 
prime — and occupy about the same period in their de- 
clension ; thus making the term of their life little short 
of 1000 years. Mr. Maundrell states that one of them 
which he measured was 36 feet 6 inches in girth, and 
37 yards in the spread of its boughs. At six yards 
from the ground, it was divided into five limbs, each 
equal to a great tree. Its wood is of a beautiful 
broAvn ; possesses a fragrant smell, and a remarkably 
fine grain ; it distils a useful gum, and its juice is said 
to preserve dead bodies from putrefaction. These trees 
form a little grove by themselves, as if planted by art, 
and are seated in a hollow amid rocky eminences all 
around them, at the foot of the ridge which forms the 
loftiest peak of Lebanon. 

" Above the cascade and the snow, immense fields of 
ice undulate like vapours of alternate green and blue ; 
aud about a mile to the left, in a sort of semicircular 

* Laraartine's Travels, pp. 107 — 109. 



MOUNT LEBANON. 



97 



vale, formed by the highest difFs of Lebanon, we per- 
ceive a large black spot on the snow. It is the renowned 
group of cedars ; they crown, like a diadem, the brow of 
the mountain, and look down upon the out-branchings of 
the numerous large valleys which fall from it ; the sea and 
the sky are their horizon. We urged our horses through 
the snow, to come as near as possible to the group ; but 
when within 500 or 600 yards of it, our horses sank up to 
their shoulders, convincing us that the report of the Arabs 
was true, and that we must renounce the project of touch- 
ing with our hands those relics of centuries and of nature. 
We got off horseback, and seated ourselves on a rock to 
contemplate them. 

These trees are the most celebrated natural monu- 
ments in the universe. Religion, poetry, and history, 
have equally consecrated them. The Holy Scriptures 
celebrate them in several places. They form one of the 
images Avhich the prophets use with especial preference. 
Solomon was desirous to devote them to the adorning of 
the temple he erected to the only God, doubtless on ac- 
count of the fame for magnificence and sanctity which 
these prodigies of vegetation possessed at that era. 
These are certainly they, for Ezekiel speaks of the 
cedars of Eden as the most beautiful on Lebanon'. 
The Arabs of all creeds have a traditional veneration 
for these trees. They attribute to them not only a 
vegetative vigour which gives them an eternal existence, 
but also a soul, which endows them with marks of saga- 
city and foresight, similar to those arising from instinct 
in animals, or from intellect in men. They know be- 
forehand the seasons, they move their vast branches like 
limbs, they stretch them out, or draw them in, raise them 
to the heavens, or bend them to the earth, according as 
the snow is about to fall or to melt. They are divine 
beings in the form of trees. This is the only spot on the 







98 



MOUNT LEBANON. 



chain of Lebanon where they grow, and here they take root 
far above the region where all considerable vegetatioi 
ceases. All this strikes with astonishment the imagina- 
tion of people in the East, and I am not quite sure that 
science itself would not be surprised. 

But, alas ! Bassan languishes, Carmel and the flowers of 
Lebanon are fading. These trees are diminished every 
age. Travellers formerly counted thirty or forty, after- 
wards seventeen, and at a later date but twelve. There 
are not more than seven which from their massiveness can 
be presumed contemporaries of the biblical era."^ 

It was predicted of Lebanon, (Isa. x. 19,) that its 
branches should fall, its cedars be devoured, and that a 
time would come when its trees should be " so few that a 
child might write them.^^ How improbable soever this 
prediction may have appeared at the time, and although 
for 800 years after it was uttered, Lebanon was covered 
with trees, yet it has long since received its literal accom- 
plishment. The following tabular statement will show 
the gradual disappearance of the cedars of Lebanon, as 
described by modern travellers : — 



Date. 


Number of Cedars. 


Authorities. 


1550 


28 


Belloni 


1574 


24 


Raawolf 


1660 


23 


Dandini 


1675 


22 


Thevenot 


1696 


16 


MaundreU 


1738 


15 


Pococke 


1810 


12 


Burckhardt 


1818 


7 


Richardson 


1830 


7 


Robinson 


1832 


7 


Lamartine* 



* Lamartine's Travels, pp. 134, 135, 



MOUNT LEBANON. 



9d 



The oldest trees are distinguislied by having the foliage 
and small branches at the top only^ and by four, five, or 
even seven trunks springing from one root. The branches 
and trunks of the others are lower ; the trunks of the old 
trees are covered with the names of travellers who have 
visited them, some of which are dated as far back as 1640. 
These cedars were the resort of eagles (Ezek. xvii. 3) ; as 
the lofty summits of the mountains were the haunts of 
lions and other beasts of prey, the prints of whose feet 
Mr. Maundrell observed in the snow. To these savage 
tenants of the desert, the prophet Habakkuk seems to 
allude in that prediction : " For the violence of Lebanon 
shall cover thee, and the spoil of beasts which made them 
afraid, because of men^s blood, and for the violence of the 
land.^^ (Hab. ii. 17.) And also Solomon : Come with 
me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon ; 
look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and 
Hermon, from the lions' dens, and from the mountains of 
the leopards.'^ (Song iv. 8.) 

Lebanon was justly considered as forming a very strong 
barrier to the Land of Promise ; and opposing an almost 
insurmountable obstacle to the movements of cavalry and 
chariots of war. When Sennacherib, therefore, in the 
arrogance of his heart, and the pride of his strength, 
wished to express the ease with which he had subdued the 
greatest difficulties, and how vain was the resistance of 
Hezekiah and his people, he exclaimed, " By the multitude 
of my chariots am I come up to the height of the moun- 
tains, to the sides of Lebanon ; and I will cut down the 
tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir-trees thereof; and I 
will enter into the height of his border, and the forest of 
his Carmel.^' (Isa. xxxvii. 24.) What others accompUsh 
on foot, with much labour and the greatest difficulty, by a 
Vfinding path cut into steps, which no beast of burden, ex- 
cept the cautious and sure-footed mule, can tread, that 



100 



MOUNT HERMON. 



haughty monarcli vaunted he could perform with horses 
and a multitude of chariots. Surrounded by crouching 
slaves^ and accustomed to see every obstacle vanish before 
him, he vainly supposed he could gratify the most inordi- 
nate desire ; and that what the world accounted physical 
impossibilities must yield to his power.* 

These mountainous districts are everywhere covered with 
a magnificent cultivation, and tenanted by the most indus- 
trious, contented, and virtuous population in all Syria. 
There are four distinct tribes inhabiting this romantic 
region ; viz. the Maronites, the Druses, the Metualis, and 
the Assarias. An exceedingly interesting account of these 
tribes is given by Lamartine. 

HERMON. 

This is not a distinct and separate mountain. It is one 
of the summits of Lebanon — one of the loftiest eminences 
of Anti-Libanus, at the base of which are the springs or 
source of the Jordan. It was called Sirion by the Sidon- 
ians, and Shenir by the Amorites. (Deut. iii. 9.) In the 
Chaldee Targum it is styled Toor-Talga, the mountain of 
snow. It is at present called Djebel Esheikh ; and divides, 
about five hours north of the lake of Houle, into two 
branches, enclosing the lake and the valley in which it 
lies, called the Ard Houle. The western branch takes the 
name of Djebel Safat ; the eastern, which is the more lofty 
and extensive, is called Djebel Heish, which is prolonged 
southwards towards the eastern side of the Sea of Tiberias. 
That part of this mountain which overlooks Panias, (Cse- 
sarea Philippi,) was anciently called Baal-Hermon, after 
the great god Baal, in honour of whom groves were 
planted and altars erected on the tops of lofty moun- 



* Paxton. 



MOUNT CARMEL. 



101 



tains. Mount Hermon, tlierefore_, with its groves and 
altars, was one of the high places of Eaal/^ so frequently 
mentioned in Scripture. Pococke is of opinion that Sirion^ 
or, by contraction, Sion, was applied to the lower part of 
the mountain. If this be correct, the allusion of the 
Psalmist (Ps. cxxxiii. 3) is extremely elegant and appro- 
priate. He uses the metaphor of the precious ointmentj 
poured upon the head of Aaron, which ran down to the 
skirts of his garments, as a parallel figure with the dew of 
Hermon, that descended on the hill of Sion. Hermon 
was proverbial for the richness and copiousness of its dews. 
Maundrell says, " We were sufficiently instructed by ex- 
perience, what the holy Psalmist meant by the ' dew of 
Hermon,^ our tents being as wet with it as if it had rained 
all night.'^ 

Besides the above more celebrated mountain, there was 
another Hermon of lower elevation in the Plain of Esdrae- 
lon, consisting of a small range of hills isolated all round. 
This eminence, and Mount Tabor at no great distance, 
form conspicuous objects in the plain. (Ps. Ixxxix. 13.) 

CAEMEL. 

This celebrated mountain stands on the sea-coast, at the- 
southern terminus of the tribe of Asher, about ten miles 
from Acre, extending six or eight miles nearly north and 
south, and forming a sort of cape, or promontory, on the 
opposite side of a fine bay. It is an extensive range of 
mountains, rising majestically from the plain of Esdraelon, 
and terminating in a boldly-defined promontory which 
forms the bay of Acre. Its extreme height, according to 
Volney, is 2000 feet ; hence when the valley at its foot is 
oppressed with sultry heats, its summit is cooled by re- 
freshing breezes, and enjoys a delightful temperature. 
Though spoken of, in general, as a single mountain, it 



102 



MOUNT CARMEL. 



ought rather to be considered as a mountainous region, the 
whole of which bears the name of Carmel ; while to one of 
the hillsj more elevated than the rest, the term is applied 
by way of eminence. It is very rocky, consisting of a 
whitish stone, with flints imbedded in it ; having on the 
east the fine plain of Esdraelon, watered by the brook 
Kishon ; not far off is seetfthe little town of Nazareth ; in 
the distance, the summit of Mount Tabor; and still farther, 
the Lake of Gennesareth blending with the blue horizon ; 
to the north we behold the cloud-capped summits of the 
mountains of Lebanon; and on the west, the view is 
bounded by the roaring sea. 

Its sides are steep and rugged ; the soil neither deep nor 
rich ; and among the naked rocks stinted v/ith plants, and 
wild forests, which it presents to the eye, there are at pre- 
sent but few traces of that fertility which we are accustomed 
to associate with the idea of Mount Carmel. The curse 
denounced by Amos has fallen upon it. (Amos i. 2.) 
There are no longer any rich pastures to render it " the 
habitation of shepherds,^^ or to justify its comparison to the 
" glory of Lebanon the " top of Carmel " has withered. 
The sides are indeed graced by some native cedars ; and 
even Volney himself acknowledges that he found among 
the brambles wild vines and olive-trees, which proved that 
the hand of industry had once been employed on a not un- 
grateful soil. "Carmel, which we followed for nearly four 
hours,^^ says Lamartine, " presented to us everywhere the 
same severe and solemn aspect. It is a gigantic, and 
almost perpendicular wall, entirely covered with brush- 
wood and odoriferous herbs. Its dark green ridge con- 
trasts with the sky of deep blue, in which heated vapours 
are floating, like the light smoke which issues from the 
mouth of an oven. Its sides are dressed in a vigorous and 
hardy vegetation. There is everywhere thick brushwood, 
surmounted here and there by the projecting heads of 



MOUXT CAR MEL. 



103 



oaks. Grey rocks^ cut by nature into strange and colossal 
forms^ at iuteryals pierce this verdant layer^ and throw 
back the dazzling rays of the sun. Such is the aspect we 
have on our left, far as the eve can reach ; at our feet, the 
valleys which we follow sink in gentle slopes, and begin to 
open on the beautiful plain of Caypha. We scale the last 
detached hills which separate us from it, and lose sight of 
it only to immediately regain it. These detached hills be- 
tween Palestine and the coast of Syria, have at once the 
most agreeable and the most solemn positions that we have 
contemplated. Here and there, in the forests of oaks 
abandoned to natm-e, are extensive glades, covered with a 
sward as velvety as our western meadows ; in the rear, the 
peak of Tabor rises into the fiery sky, like a majestic altar 
croTMied with green garlands ; beyond, the blue tops of the 
mountains of Jelboe, (Gilboa,) and the hills of Samaria, 
oscillate in the indistinct horizon. Moiuit Carmel throws 
its large and heavy shadow on one side of the scene, and 
the eye following it, falls on the sea, which terminates the 
whole, as the sky in the finest landscapes.'^ 

The fastnesses of this ragged mountain are so difiicult 
of access, that they have been in all ages a secure 
retreat for the guilty or the oppressed; and the pro- 
phet Amos classes them with the deeps of hell, the 
height of heaven, and the bottom of the sea: ^''Though 
they dig into hell,'" (or the dark and secret chambers 
of the grave.) thence shall mine hand take them ; 
though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring 
them dovrn ; and though they hide themselves in the 
top of Carmel, I will search and take them out thence ; 
and though they be hid fi'om my sight in the bottom 
of the sea, thence vail I command the serpent, and 
he shall bite them."" (Amos ix. 2, 3.) Lebanon raises 
to heaven a summit of naked and barren rocks, covered 
for the gi-eater part of the year with snow; but the 



104 



MOUNT CARMEL. 



top of Carmel, how naked and sterile soever its present 
condition^ was anciently clothed with verdure which 
seldom was known to fade. Even the lofty genius of 
Isaiah, stimulated and guided by the Spirit of inspira- 
tion, could not find a more appropriate figure, to 
express the flourishing state of the Redeemer's king- 
dom, than ^' the excellency of Carmel and Sharon/^ 
Mount Carmel is celebrated in sacred history as having 
been the residence of the prophets Elijah and Elislia; 
and as the scene of the defeat of the false prophets of 
Baal, when, in the presence of Ahab and the people 
of Israel, the sacrifice of Elijah was consumed by 
celestial fire. (1 Kings xviii. 19 — 40.) There is a 
certain part of the mountain, about eight miles from 
the point of the promontory, which the Arabs call 
Mansur, and the Europeans, " the place of sacrifice,^' 
in commemoration of that miraculous event. Near 
the same place is also shown a cave, in which it is said 
the prophet dwelt. At the distance of a league, are 
two fountains which they pretend sprang up miracu- 
lously at the bidding of the same prophet ; and lower 
down, towards the foot of the mountain, is the cave 
where he instructedthe people. On the summit, facing 
the sea, tradition points out the spot where the pro- 
phet stood when he prayed for rain, and where he saw 
the cloud arise out of the sea.* 

There was another Mount Carmel, with a city of 
the same name, in the tribe of Judah, where Nabal 
the Carmelite, AbigaiFs husband, dAvelt and pastured 
his flocks. (Joshua xv. 55 ; 1 Sam. xxv. 2.) 

♦ Scholz's Travels in Egj'pt, &c. 



MOUNT TABOR. 



105 



TABOB. 

Mount Tabor, or Itabyrius, called also the Mount 
of Transfiguration, as it is allowed, by the constant 
and tiniversal suffrage of antiquity, to have been on 
this mountain that our Lord, going up with Peter 
and John, was transfigured before them. This moun- 
tain, situated six miles S.E. of Nazareth, is one of the 
most sublime and imposing objects in the vast plain 
of Esdraelon. It stands out, like a huge pedestal of 
nature, perfectly detached and insolated ; rising and 
tapering from the plain beneath in the form of a trun- 
cated cone.* Its height has been variously estimated 
at 1000, 1500, and 2000 feet ; but Mr. Stephens, who 
ascended it in 1836, declares its extreme elevation to 
be nearly 3000 feet. Its sides are rugged and pre- 
cipitous, but clothed with a luxuriant verdure, adorned 
with groves and clumps of trees ; and beautifully en- 
amelled, from its summit to its base, with every variety 
of plant and flower. To a person standing at its foot, 
it appears to terminate in an inaccessible point ; but, 
on arriving on the top, he is agreeably disappointed 
by finding an oval plain about a mile in circumference, 
covered on the west with a bed of fertile soil, and 
exhibiting on the east a mass of interesting ruins ; 
vestiges of temples, or churches, fragments of grottoes, 
fallen bastions, and strong stone walls, all bearing the 
marks of remote antiquity. Burckhardt says, (1810,) 
" A thick wall, constructed of large stones, may be 
traced quite round the top, on several parts of which 
are the relics of bastions ; the area too is overspread 
with ruins of stone dwellings built with great solidity.^' 
This wall is probably the one built by Josephus in 
forty days. 

* Mr. Joliffe aptly describes it as resembling " a coue with the point 
struck oft*." 

P 



106 



MOUNT TABOR. 



" There was also a wall along the middle of it, which 
divided the south part, on which the city stood, from 
the north part, which is lower, and is called the meidan, 
the place being probably used for exercises when there 
was a city here, which Josephus mentions by the name of 
Ataburion. Within the outer wall on the north side are 
several deep fosses, out of which, it is probable, the stones 
were dug to build the walls ; and these fosses seem to have 
answered the end of cisterns, to preserve the rain-water, 
and were also some defence to the city. There are like- 
wise a great number of cisterns underground, for preserving 
the rain-water. To the south, where the ascent was most 
easy, there are fosses cut on the outside, to render the 
access to the walls more difficult. Some of the gates also 
of the city remain : as Bab-el-houah, the gate of the winds, 
to the west ; and Bab-el-kuhbe, the arched gate; a small one 
to the south. Antiochus, king of Syria, took the fortress 
on the top of this hill. Vespasian also got possession of 
it ; and, after that, Josephus fortified it with strong walls. 
But what has made it more famous than anything else, is 
the common opinion, from the time of St. Jerome, that the 
transfiguration of our Saviour was on this mountain. On 
the east part of the hill are the remains of a strong castle ; 
and within the precinct of it is the grot, in which are three 
altars in memory of the three tabernacles which St. Peter 
proposed to build, and where the Latin fathers always 
celebrate the day of Transfiguration. It is said, there 
was a magnificent church built here by St. Helena, which 
was a cathedral when this town was made a bishop^s see. 
There was formerly a convent of Benedictine monks here; 
and, on another part of the hill, a monastery of Basilians, 
where the Greeks have an altar, and perform their service 
on the festival of the Transfiguration. On the side of tho 
hill, they show a church in a grot, where they say Christ 
charged his disciples not to tell what things they had seen 
till he was glorified,'' 



MOUNT TABOR 



107 



The prospect from Mount Tabor is most extensive and 
enchanting ; embracing on the soutli^ a series of hills and 
Talleys extending as far as Jerusalem, a distance of fifty 
miles; to the east, are seen the Yalley of Jordan, and 
the Lake of Tiberias, — the lake appearing as if enclosed 
\\-ithin the crater of a volcano ; on the north-west is 
discovered, in the distance, the broad expanse of tlie 
Mediterranean ; a few points to the north appears the 
Mount of Beatitudes ; due north, you have a fine pano- 
ramic view of the Plains of Esdraelon and Galilee, skirted 
in the background by a chain of mountains which sweep 
round and terminate the view on the side of the sea. 
" From the top of Tabor,^^ says Maundrell, " you have a 
prospect v/hich, if nothing else, will reward the labour of 
ascending it. It is impossible for man's eyes to behold 
a higher gratification of this nature." Pococke, Van 
Egmont, and Heyman speak of it as the most beautiful 
mountain they ever saw.-'-' 

Mr. Stephens bears similar testimony : — " Before us, 
and the most striking and imposing object on the whole 
of the great Plain of Esdraelon, was Mount Tabor. It 
stands perfectly isolated; rising alone from the plain in 
a rounded tapering form, like a truncated cone, to the 
height of 3000 feet, covered with trees, grass, and wildT 
fiowers, from the base to its summit, and presenting the 
combination so rarely found in natural scenery of the 
bold and the beautiful. At twelve o^clock we were at 
the miserable village of Deborah, at the foot of the 
mountain, supposed to be the place vvhere Deborah the 
prophetess, who then judged Israel, and Barak and 
* 10,000 men after him, descended upon Sisera, and 
discomfited him and all his chariots, even 900 chariots 
of iron, and all the people that vrere with him.-' The 
men and boys had all gone out to their daily labour, 
and we tried to persuade a woman to guide us to the 



108 



MOUNT TABOR. 



top of the mountain, but she turned away with con- 
tempt ; and having had some practice in climbing, we 
moved around its sides until we found a regular path, 
and ascended nearly to the top without dismounting. 
The path wound around the mountain, and ga^e us a 
view from all its different sides, every step presenting 
something new, and more and more beautiful, until all 
was completely forgotten and lost in the exceeding 
loveliness of the view from the summit. Stripped of 
every association, and considered merely as an elevation 
commanding a view of unknown valleys and mountains, 
I never saw a mountain which, for beauty of scenery, 
better repaid the toil of ascending it ; and I need not 
say what an interest was given to every feature when 
we saw in the valley beneath the large plain of Jezreel, 
the great battle-ground of nations ; on the south the 
supposed range of Hermon, with whose dews the 
Psalmist compares the ' pleasantness of brethren dwell- 
ing together in unity/ beyond, the ruined village of 
Endor, where dwelt the witch who raised up the pro- 
phet Samuel; and near it the little city of Nain, where 
our Saviour raised from the dead the widow^s son; on 
the east, the mountains of Gilboa, where Saul, and 
his armour-bearer, and liis three sons, fell upon their 
swords, to save themselves from falling into the hands 
of the Philistines ; beyond, the sea of Galilee, or Lake 
of Gennesareth, the theatre of our Saviour's miracles, 
where, in the fourth watch of the night, he appeared to 
his terrified disciples, walking on the face of the waters ; 
and to the north, on a lofty eminence, high above the 
top of Tabor, the city of Saphat, supposed to be the 
ancient Bethulia, alluded to in the words, ^ a city that 
is set on a hill cannot be hid.^ 

But, if the tradition be true, we need not go beyond 
^he moantain itself for it was on this high mountain 



MOUNT TABOR. 



109 



tbat 'Jesus took Peter, and James, and John his brother 
apart/ and gave tliem a glimpse of glory before his death, 
when 'his face did shine as the sun_, and his raiment 
was white as the light ; and a voice out of the cloud was 
beard, saying. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am 
well pleased/ I stood on the very spot where this holy 
scene was enacted. Within the walls of an old fortress 
is a ruined grotto, with three altars built as Peter had 
proposed, one for Christ, one for Moses, and one for 
Elias ; where, once a year, the monks of the convent, 
and all the Christians of Nazareth, ascending in solemn 
procession, offer adoration and praise to the Saviour of 
the world. The top of the mountain is an oval, about 
half a mile long, and encompassed by a wall built by 
Josephus when he was governor of Galilee; within this 
enclosure is a table of luxuriant grass and wild flowers, 
sending forth such an odour, and looking so clean and 
refreshing, that, when my horse lay down and rolled in 
it, I felt the spirit of boyhood coming over me again, 
and was strongly tempted to follow his example.''^* 

From this mountain, being the highest land between 
the two seas, springs arise, which flow into the Medi- 
terranean on the west, and the sea of Galilee on the 
east; those on the former side unite to form the river 
Kishon. Tabor is now called Djebel Tor by the Ara])s. 

MOUNTAINS OF GILEAD. 

A mountainous district in the southern part of the 
land of Gilead, towards the river Jabbok. In the old 
maps it is represented as a continuation of Mount 
Hermon southwards ; forming the boundary between 
the tribe of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh to 
the west, and the country of the Ammonites in the 

* Stephens' Travels, pp. 576 — 578. 



110 



MOUNTAINS OP ABARIM. 



east. But that part of this hilly region, properly- term- 
ed Gilead, is a small mountain-range about six or seven 
miles south of the Jabbok, and eight miles in length, 
from east to west. Gilead was famous for its balm. (Jer. 
viii. 22; xlvi. 11.) The hair of the goats that browsed 
on these mountains was as fine as that of the Oriental 
goat, which resembles the most delicate silk, and is 
often used in the manufacture of muffs. (Cant. iv. 1.) 
The northern part of this range, known by the name of 
Bashan, was celebrated for its stately oaks (Ezek. xxvii. 
6), and for its rich pasturage. (Psalm xxii. 12.) In 
the southern part of this range, beyond Jordan, were 

THE MOUNTAINS 0¥ ABARIM.* 

A range of rugged hills, forming the northern limit 
of the territory of Moab, which are conjectured to have 
derived their name from the passes between them, 
or from the Israelites having passed the river Jordan 
into the promised land, opposite to these mountains. 
They are a long ridge of frightful, rocky, precipitous 
hills, stretching along the eastern coast of the Dead 
Sea, as far as the eye can reach. The most elevated 
points are Pisgah and Nebo, which command a view 
of the whole land of Canaan. (Deut. iii. 27; xxxii. 
48—50 ; xxxiv. 1—3.) 

MOUNTAINS OF GILBOA. 

A ridge of mountains on the north-west of Beth- 
shan, or Scythopolis, rising in peaks about 800 feet 
above the level of the road, 1000 feet above the Jor- 
dan, and 1200 feet above the level of the sea; and 
forming the western boundary of the Valley of Jordan. 
They are very bare ; a little withered grass, and a few 

* Abarim signifies parses, or passages. 



MOUNTAINS OF ISRAEL. 



Ill 



scanty shrubs, constituting the only symptoms of 
vegetation. Gilboa is memorable as the scene of a 
sanguinary battle fought between the Israelites and 
the Philistines, in which the three sons of Saul were 
slain, and he died by his own hand. (1 Sam. chap, 
xxxi.) The natives still call it Djebel Gilbo, the 
"Mountain of Gilboa.^' 

THE MOUNTAINS OP ISRAEL; 

Called also the mountains of Ephraim ; are situated 
in the very centre of the Holy Land, and opposite to 
the mountains of Judah. The most elevated summit 
of this ridge, anciently the Eock of Rimmon (Judges 
XX. 45 — 47)j is now called Quarantania, and is sup- 
posed to have been the scene of our Saviour's tempta- 
tion. It is situated in a mountainous desert — a 
miserable dry and barren place, consisting of high 
rocky mountains, torn and disordered, as if the earth 
had here suffered some great convulsion. The cele- 
brated mountains of Ebal and Gerizim are separated 
from each other merely by an intervening valley, and 
are very similar in their height, length, and figure. 
There is a kind of sublime horror in the lofty, craggy, 
and barren aspect of these mountains, which seem to 
face each other with an air of defiance, especially as 
they stand contrasted with the rich valley beneath, 
where the city Shechem or Nablous appears imbedded 
in green gardens and extensive olive-grounds, rendered 
more verdant by the lengthened periods of shade they 
enjoy from the hills on either side. God charged the 
Israelites that after they had crossed the Jordan, six of 
their tribes should be stationed on Ebal, and six on 
Gerizim; the former to denoiinre curses against the 
refractory and rebellious — the better to pronounce 



112 



MOUNT OF BEATITUDES. 



blessings on such as were obedient. (Deut. xi. 29 ; 
xxvii. 12, 13.) 

MOUNT OF BEATITUDES. 

This is an elevation of from 200 to 300 feet above the 
surrounding plain, situated a short distance to the north 
of Mount Tabor. Here our Lord delivered that sublime 
discourse recorded in the fifth, sixth, and seventh chap- 
ters of St. Matthew^s Gospel, commonlv called the 
Sermon on the Mount. In its immediate vicinity is 
the city of Saphat, supposed to be the ancient Bethulia, 
which also stands on a conspicuous elevation. To this, 
probably, our Lord pointed when he said to his disciples, 
^' Ye are the light of the world ; a city set upon an hill 
cannot be hid.'' (Matt. v. 14.) 

MOUNT SALMON, ok ZALMON. 

A mountain near Shechem (Judges ix. 47, '48), whose 
declivities were clothed with lofty woods, and its summits 
capped with snow. There is a reference to this circum- 
stance in Psalm Ixviii. 14, which has not been generally 
well understood: — When the Almighty scattered kings 
in it, it was white as snow in Salmon." Matthew Henry 
thinks, the royal bard here refers to the church, and para- 
phrases the words thus: — ^^Wiien the Almighty scattered 
kings in her (the church), she was white, or purified, as 
snow in Salmon." But this exposition cannotbe sustained. 
It is a dangerous practice to spiritualize and mystify the 
language of Scripture when a literal interpretation will 
hold good. We have evidence of this in the whimsical 
and extravagant fancies of Dr. Gill and Mr. Keach. In 
the passage under consideration the Psalmist narrates a 
literal matter of fact. The allusion is to the discomfiture 



MOUNT OLIVET. 



113 



of the Amorites, and the slaughter of their chieftains : — 
And the Lord discomfited thein before Israel, and slew them 
with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the 
way that goeth up to Beth-horon, and smote them to Azekah, 
and unto Makkedah. And it came to pass, as they fled from 
before Israel, and were in the going down to Beth-horon^ 
that the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them 
unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died 
luith hailstones than they ivhom the children of Israel slew 
with the sword J' (Josh. x. 10^ 11.) These great and 
destructive hailstones appear to have covered all the 
ground from Beth-horon to Azekah, and made it white 
as snow in Salmon/'^ 

GAASH. 

A hill of Samaria, near which stood Timnath-serah, the 
place where Joshua was buried. (Josh. xxiv. 30.) His 
sepulchre was shown in the days of Eusebius and Jerome. 

OLIVET. 

The Mount of Olives rises on the east of Jerusalem, in^ 
three peaks, stretching about a mile from north to south ; 
between it and the city lie the Valley of Jehoshaphat, and 
the brook Kedron. It commands a view of the whole city, 
every street and house of which may be seen from its sum- 
mit, the prospect extending as far as the Dead Sea, and 
the mountains beyond Jordan. The northern peak is the 
most elevated ; from the central one our Saviour ascended 
to heaven ; and on the south summit, Solomon built tem- 
ples to his wives' idols, whence it was called the Mount of 
Corruption. On Mount Olivet stood the Redeemer of the 

* Paxtoru 



114 



MOtTNT OLIVET. 



world, when he heheld the guilty city spread out in all ita 
magnificence before him^ and wept over it. Here he pre- 
dicted its downfal ; and. it is a singular fact that Titus 
encamped with his army on the very spot, where its de- 
struction had been foretold. Between the foot of the hill 
and the brook Kedron, is the garden of Gethsemane — an 
e^en piece of ground fifty- seven yards square, thickly 
planted with olive-trees of an ancient growth, and asserted 
to be the same that stood there in the time of our Lord. 
It is an interesting fact that, notwithstanding all the revo- 
lutions the country has undergone duriog the last 2000 
years, the olive still maintains its paternal soil, and is found 
at this day growing in patches on the same spot that was 
called by the Jews, Mount Olivet, 1100 years before the 
Christian era. 

Dr. Clarke also makes the following beautiful reflec- 
tions on the ascent of David to this mountain : — 

" About forty years before the idolatrous profanation 
of the Mount of Olives by Solomon, his afflicted parent, 
driven from Jerusalem by his son Absalom, came to 
this eminence to present a less ofi'ensive sacrifice : and, 
as it is beautifully expressed by Adrichomius, Flens, 
ET NUDis PEDiBus, Deus adoravit. What a scene 
does the sublime, the simple description given by the 
Prophet (2 Sam. xv.) picture to the imagination of every 
one who has felt the influence of filial piety, but espe- 
cially of the traveller standing upon the very spot where 
the aged monarch gave to heaven the ofi'ering o^" his 
wounded spirit ! And David went up by the ascent 
of Mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his 
head covered ; and he went barefoot : and all the pcL pie 
that was with nim covered every man his head ; and 
they went up weeping.' Abstracted from every religiou9 
view, and considered solely as a subject for the most 
gifted genius in poetry or paintings it is perhaps impos- 



MOUNT OLIVET. 



115 



sible to select a theme more wortliy tlie exercise of 
exalted talents. Everything that is sublime and afiect- 
ing seems to be presented in the description or march 
of David; in his passage across the Kedron ; and par- 
ticularly in the moment when the Ark of the Covenant 
was sent back^ and the aged monarchy having in vain 
entreated Ittai to leave him^ begins to ascend the moun- 
tain,, preceded by the various people said to form the 
van of the procession. Every wonderful association of 
natural and of artificial features^ of landscape and of 
architectui'e, of splendid and diversified costume^ of 
sacred pomp^ and of unequal pathos, dignify the af- 
fecting scene : here a solemn train of mourners ; there 
the seers, the guardians and companions of the Ark; men, 
women, children, warriors, statesmen, citizens, priests, 
Levites, counsellors; — with all the circumstances of 
grandeur, displayed by surrounding objects : by the 
waters of the torrent ; by the sepulchres of the valley ; 
by the lofty rocks, the towers, bulwarks, and palaces of 
Sion ; by the magnificent perspective on every side j by 
the bold declivities and lofty summits of Mount Olivet; 
and, finally, by the concentration of all that is great 
and striking in the •central group, distinguished by 
the presence of the afflicted monarch. 

The '^iew of Jerusalem from this eminence is from 
east to west. Towards the south appears the Lake As- 
phaltites, a noble expanse of water, seeming to be -with- 
in a short ride of the city, but the real distance is much 
greater. Lofty mountains enclose it with prodigious 
grandeur; and resemble, by their position, the shores 
of the Lake of Geneva, opposite to Tevay and Lau- 
sanne. To the north of the lake are seen the verdant 
and fertile pastm'cs of the plain of Jericho, watered by 
the Jordan, whose course may be distinctly discerned. 
For the rest, nothing appears in the surrounding coun- 



116 



MOUNT CALVARY. 



try but hills, whose undulating surfaces resemble the 
waves of a perturbed sea. These were bleak and des- 
titute of wood, and seemed to be without cultivation. 
However, this cannot be ascertained by a distant view : 
we often found that mountains, which, when remote, 
appeared like naked rocks, were, when we drew near to 
them, covered with little terraces, like a series of steps, 
and abundantly productive."* 



CALVARY, 

Latin, Calvaria ; Heb. Golgotha : both names implying 
a skull, or place of skulls, and derived, either from its 
having been a place of sepulture — a place for public 
executions — or from its spherical shape, resembling 
that of a skull. Calvary was a small eminence on the 
western side of Mount Moriah, where Christ was cruci- 
fied. It is said to have been about 200 paces without 
the ancient walls of Jerusalem ; but it is now, not only 
within the city, but also included within the area of a 
large irregular building, called the Church of the Holy 
Sepulchre. The spot where our, Saviour was nailed to 
the cross, the hole into which the cross was fixed, and 
the rent in the rock, are still shown by the monks. 
Mr. Buckingham describes Calvary as a rock which is 
ascended by a steep flight of eighteen or twenty steps 
from the common level of the church ; and besides this, 
there is a descent of thirty steps from the level of the 
church into the chapel of St. Helena, and by eleven 
more to the place where the true cross is said to have 
been found. 

• Hansford's Gazetteer, p. 348. 



VALLEY OF JORDAN. 



117 



VALLEYS OF PALESTINE. 

THE VALE OF ZEBULUN 

Separates the village of EmmauSj or Chammath, from 
the ridge of hills that look down on Acre. This delightful 
valley appears everywhere covered with spontaneous vege^ 
tation^ flourishing in the wildest exuberance. On either 
side of the road, the ruins of fortified places exercise the 
ingenuity of the antiquarian, being involved in much ob- 
scurity. The strong city of Zebulun — the city of men," 
has entirely disappeared. Its former beauty and magnifi- 
cence, which rivalled that of Tyre, Sidon, and Berytus, are 
now sought in vain among Arab huts and scattered stones. 

THE VALLEY OF JORDAN. 

The Ghor, or valley through which the Jordan flows 
after leaving the Lake of Tiberias, is about four miles in 
width, having in many places a pleasing verdure, and a 
luxuriant growth of wild herbage and grass ; but the 
greater part of it is a parched desert, of which a few spots 
only are cultivated by the Bedouins. It varies in width 
from four miles to ten. The level is lower, and conse- 
quently its temperature higher than in most other parts of 
Syria ; the rocky mountains on each side concentrating 
the heat, and preventing the air from being cooled by the 
westerly winds. Standing in this valley on the banks of 
the Jordan, we have before us the characteristics and con- 
trarieties of all the seasons romantically blended in one 
landscape. To the north, appears the Djebel El Sheikh, 
the lofty peak of Hermon, covered with perpetual snow ; 
to the east, the fertile plain of Djolan, clothed in the blos- 
soms of spring, or the rich vintage of autumn ; while to the 
south, the arid soil and withered vegetation of the Ghor 



118 



VALLE-f OF REPHAIM. 



present the picture of a tropical summer. The plain of the 
Ghor is divided into two distinct levels ; the upper, or 
general level of the plain ; and the lower about forty feet 
beneath. The latter, through whicli the river flows, is a 
flat about three quarters of a mile wide, overgrown with 
trees, shrubs, and long grass, which sqrve as a covert for 
lions and other wild beasts ; but when the river overflows 
its bank, these are driven out by the waters, to the terror 
of the neighbouring inhabitants. This incident furnished 
the prophet Jeremiah with a beautiful simile (chap. xlix. 19). 

VALLEY OF REPHAIM, ok GIANTS' VALLEY. 

A valley near Jerusalem, on the confines of the territories 
assigned to Judah and Benjamin. It derived its name 
from the gigantic race of Eephaim, by some of whom, de- 
tached from their chief settlement on the east of Jordan, it 
was at one time peopled. This valley was often the field 
of battle between the Jews and Philistines. (2 Sam. v. 18 
—22 ; xxiii. 13 ; 1 Chron. xi. 15 ; xiv. 9.) 

VALLEY OF JEHOSHAPHAT. 

A deep and narrow glen, which runs from north to south, 
between the Mount of Olives and Mount Moriah — the 
brook Kedron flowing through it. It was called also the 
Valley of Shaveh — the King's Dale — and the Valley of 
Melchizedek. (Gen. xiv. 17, 18 ^ 2 Sam. xviii. 18.) 
Also, the Valley of Decision (Joel iii. — 14) ; and the 
Valley of J ehoshaphat, because that sovereign erected in it 
a magnificent tomb. This " gathering-place of nations 
has been in all ages the great burying-ground of the Jews; 
and thither they still resort, from the four quarters of the 
globe, to sleep with their fathers ; a privilege which they 
purchase at an exorbitant price. Among its monuments. 



VALLEY OF HINNOM. 



119 



are four — unique in their appearance and construction — 
known from time immemorial as the tombs of Absalom, 
Jchoshaphat, St. James, and the prophet Zechariah. 
These tombs are cut out of the solid rock ; that of Absa- 
lom is a single stone as large as a two-story house, orna- 
mented with twenty-four semi -columns of the Doric 
order, supporting a triangular pyramidal top. 'No en- 
trance to this sepnlchre has ever been discovered; 
the only way of getting into the interior is by a hole 
broken for the purpose in one of the sides. The place 
itself seems consecrated to sadness. The awful silence 
of the valley — the solitude of the overhanging hills — 
the barren and forsaken aspect of the surrounding 
scenery — the monuments of the dead in all ages here 
crowded together, many of them overthrown, broken, 
and half open — \)resent a picture of unmixed gloom and 
desolation. 

VALLEY OF HINNOM. 

Called also Tophet, and, by the Greeks, Gehenna ; a 
small valley on the S.E. of Jerusalem, at the foot of 
Mount Zion. It is a deep ravine, closed in on the right 
by the steep acclivity of Mount Zion, and on the left by 
a line of cliffs, more or less elevated. From some pomt' 
in these cliffs, it is said, the betrayer of our Lord sought 
his desperate end ; and the position of the trees, which 
in various parts overhang the brow of the cliff, accords 
with the manner of his death. 

In this valley, the Canaanites, and afterwards the 
Israelites, sacrificed their children, by causing them to 
" pass through the fire to Moloch.^^ This idol was made 
of brass, decked with a re^al crown, having the head of 
a calf, and his arms extended in the attitude of embrac- 
ing. When children were offered to him, the statue was 
heated within by a strongfire; when it was sufficiently hot 



120 



VALLEY OF EOCHIM. 



the tender victims were placed in his arms and miserably 
consumed. To drown their shrieks^ a loud noise was 
made by musical instruments^ called in Hebrew^, Tuph 
(tympana, or tymbrelsjj whence the spot was designated 
Tophet. After the captivity, the Jews regarded this 
spot with abhorrence, on account of the abominations 
that had been practised there ; and, following the ex- 
ample of Josiah (2 Kings xxiii. 10), they threw into it 
all the filth of the city, the carcases of animals, and the 
dead bodies of malefactors. To prevent the pestilential 
exhalations which these would occasion if left to putrefy, 
large fires were kept constantly burning. These lurid 
fires, blazing day and night at the bottom of a 
frightful glen, was one of the most appalling and terri- 
fic objects a Jew could conceive of. It was called 
Gehenna of fire ; and, by an easy metaphor^ the J ews, 
who could imagine no severer torment than that of fire, 
transferred the name to that part of Hades, or the In- 
visible World, in which they supposed the wicked would 
dwell in " everlasting burning.^^ 

BOCHIM— THE VALLEY OF WEEPING— 

Is the name given to a place where an angel reproved 
the Israelites for their breach of covenant with God, in 
entering into a league with the Canaanites ; in conse^ 
quence of which it was declared that they should not be 
driven out, but should remain as thorns in the side of 
Israel. On receiving this announcement, the Israelites 
" lifted up their voice and wept ; and they called the 
name of the place Bochim " — weeping. It is supposed 
to have been near Shiloh. (Judges ii. 1 — 5.) 

BEBACHAH— THE VALLEY OF BLESSING. 
So denominated on account of the signal victory which 



VALE OF SIDDIM. 



121 



God granted to Jehoshaphat over the combined foi'ces of 
the Moabites, Edomites^ and Ammonites. Chron. 
XX. 26.^ It was in the tribe of Judah, in the wilderness 
of Tekoah, on the west side of the Lake of Sodom. 

VALE OF SIDDIM. 

A rich and fertile valley in which onCe stood the cities 
of godom, Gomorrah, &c. but which is ^ow covered with 
the waters of the Dead Sea. It is m emorable for the 
overthrow of Chedorlaomer, and his confederate kings, 
or emirs. (Gen. xiv. 2 — 10.) 

TEPtEBINTHINE VALE, or V ALLEY OF ELAH, 

Lies about three miles from B ethlehem, on the road 
to Jaffa; renowned as the field of the victory gained by 
the youthful David over the uncir cumcised champion of 
the Philistines, who had " defied the armies of the living 
God." (1 Sam. xvii. 2.) It is a pretty and interestiog 
spot ; the bottom covered with olive-trees. Its present 
appearance answers exactly to the description given in 
Scripture ; for nothing has ever occurred to alter the 
appearance of the country. The two hills on which the 
hostile armies were encamp ed ; the very brook, whence 
David " chose him five smoo th stones/' still flows through 
the vale, which is varied banks and undulations. 

valI^ of salt. 

Supposed to have be en in the land of Edom, eastward 
of the Dead Sea, bet ween Tadmor and Bozrah. Here 
both David and Am^ziah discomfited the Edomites. 
(2 ^am. viii. 13; 2 Kings xiv. 7.) 

R 



122 



PLAINS OF PALESTINE. 



PLAINS OF PALESTINE. 



THE PLAIN OF ESDRAELON. 

Called also the Great Plain, the Plain of Jezreel, the 
Plain of Galilee, and the Field of Megiddon. This plain 
(the Armageddon of the Apocalypse) is the largest plain in 
Palestine ; being about thirty miles in length, and twenty 
in breadth ; extending quite across the country from Mount 
Carmel and the Mediterranean, to the southern extremity 
of the Sea of Galilee. It is the most fertile district in the 
Holy Land, abounding in rich pastures ; on which account 
it has been selected for the purpose of encampment by 
almost every army that has traversed the Holy Land. It 
is enclosed on all sides by mountains ; the hills of Nazareth 
to the north ; those of Samaria to the south ; to the east, 
the mountains of Tabor and Hermon, and Carmel to the 
south-west ; hence the views in every direction are exceed- 
ingly picturesque and extensive. Though the plain is 
covered with a rich verdure, not a tree or house is to be 
discovered. Mr. Jowett, who crossed the plain in 1823, 
found only five small villages, consisting of wretched mud 
hovels ; chiefly in ruins, and only a very few persons mov- 
ing on the road. "The highways were unoccupied; the 
inhabitants of the villages ceased ; they ceased in Israel.^' 
(Judges V. 6, 7.) 

The Plain of Esdraelon has often been the theatre of 
local war. Here the hosts of Sisera fell before Barak. 
(Judges iv. 13 — 16; v. 19.) Here Josiah fought in dis- 
guise against Necho, king of Egypt, and fell by the arrows 
of his antagonist. (2 Kings xxiii. 29.) Jews, Gentiles, 
Saracens, Crusaders, Frenchmen, Egyptians, Persians, 
Druses, Turks, and Arabs, — warriors "out of every nation 
•c»ader heaven " have pitched their tents in the great plaiu 



PLAIN OP JERICHO. 



123 



of Esdraelon, and have belield their banners wet with 
the dews of Hermon and Tabor. Murat obtained a de- 
cisive victory here, in 1799, over the Mamelukes and 
Arabs, in their bold attempt to relieve Acre. 

THE PLAIN OF JERICHO. 

A district of level country which formed part of the 
" region round about Jordan.^^ It is nearly enclosed on 
all sides by barren and rugged mountains. This cir- 
cumstance, with the lowness of its level, renders it 
oppressively hot. Rae Wilson observes, " No language 
of the most eloquent writer can give a proper descrip- 
tion of the mournful devastation which reigns in this 
devoted region, or express that solemn horror the scene 
is so well calculated to inspire. This country must be 
visited in order to be believed to be as it really is, strik- 
ingly monumental of the tremendous wrath of Almighty 
God, and held up as an everlasting warning to mankind. 
On the whole, the vast wilderness, the frightful sterility, 
and the strange apparitional forms of the moving sands, 
are sufficient, without any extravagant fiction, or chi- 
meras of imagination, to impress a beholder with the 
most profound sentiments of religious awe, and the 
power of an avenging Deity The whole road between 
Jerusalem and Jericho is through a series of rocky 
defiles, and on the edges of cliffs and precipices, which 
threaten destruction on the slightest false step. The 
scenery around us is of the most bold and forbidding 
aspect ; sometimes grand and awful — but that sort of 
grandeur which excites fear and terror, rather than ad- 
miration. " This road,'^ says Mr. Buckingham, " is held 
to be the most dangerous in Palestine ; indeed the very 
aspect of the scenery is sufficient, on the one hand, to 
tempt to robbery and murder, and, on the other hand, 



124 ' yLATN OF THE MKDTTEEUANEAN. 

to occasion a dread of it in those who pass that way. It 
made us feel most forcibly the propriety of its being cho- 
sen as the scene of the delightful tale of compassion which 
we had before so often admired for its doctrine, indepen- 
dently of its local beauty. One must be amid these wild 
and gloomy solitudes, surrounded by an armed band, and 
feel the impatience of the traveller who rushes on to catch 
a new view at every pass and turn ; one must be alarmed 
at the very tramp of the horses' hoofs rebounding through 
the caverned rocks, and at the savage shouts of the foot- 
men, scarcely less loud than the echoing thunder produced 
by the discharge of their pieces in the valleys ; one must 
witness all this on the spot, before the full force and beauty 
of the admirable story of the good Samaritan can be per- 
ceived. Here, pillage, wounds, and death, would be ac- 
companied with double terror, from the frightful aspect of 
everything around. Here, the unfeeling act of passing by 
a fellow- creature in distress, as the Priest and Levite are 
said to have done, strikes one with horror, as an act almost 
more than inhuman. And here, too, the compassion of 
the good Samaritan is doubly virtuous, from the purity of 
*)ie motive which must have led to it, in a spot where no 
eyes were fixed on him to draw forth the performance of 
any duty, and from the bravery which was necessary to 
admit of a man's exposing himself, by such delay, to the 
risk of a fate similar to that from which he was endea- 
vouving to rescue his fellow-creature.'' Mr. Wilson, 
remarking on the same locality, observes : — " A country 
more favourable for the attacks of banditti, and dens bet- 
ter adapted for concealment, can hardly be imagined.'' 

PLAIN OP THE MEDITERRANEAN. 

An extensive tract of country stretching from the river 
of Egypt to Mount Carmel. The district lying between 



PLAIN OF THE MEDITERRANEAN. 



125 



Gaza and Joppa was simply called The Plain', in this stood 
the five principal cities of the Philistine satrapies — 
Askelon, Gath^ Gaza, Ekron or Accaron, and Azotus 
or Ashdod. The tract from Joppa to Carmel was called 
Saron or Sharon ; this must not; however^ be confounded 
with the Sharon that lies between Mount Tabor and 
the Sea of Tiberias^ nor with another place of that name 
in the tribe of Gad bejond Jordan. 



CHAPTER IV. 



TIIVERS, LAKES, FOUNTAINS, fee, 
OF PALESTINE. 

The J ordan — Arnon — Kishon — Kanah — Jabbok — Besor — Sihor— 
Kedron — Gaash — Cherith — Sorek — Lake of Tiberias — Merom — Sodonj 
—Pools o-f Siloam — Bethesda — Jacob's Well, &c. 

THE JORDAN. 

This river takes its name from Yar, a river, and Darij a 
small city at the foot of Mount Hermon, near the spot 
where the river takes its rise ; Jordan signifies, therefore, 
the river of Dan. According to Josephus, its true source 
is in the Lake Phiala, about twelve miles from Csesarea 
Philippi, or Dan; whence it flows underground and 
emerges from the cave of Paneion, where it bursts forth 
with great noise, and unites with two other streams. This 
latter spot is, however, considered by Burckhardt and 
most modern travellers, to be the true source or head of 
the Jordan. It flows due south through the centre of 
the country, intersecting the Lake Merom and the Sea of 
Galilee, through which it is said to pass without mingling 
with its waters, and then, rolling onwards seventy miles 
further, loses itself in the Lake Asphaltites, or Dead Sea, 
into which it rolls a considerable volume of water, creating 
80 strong a current that the most athletic and expert 
swimmer is unable to cross it. Dr. Shaw states that it 



RIVER ARNON. 



127 



discharges daily into the Dead Sea, about 6,090,000 tons 
of water. The whole course of the river is about 100 miles, 
measuring in a direct line ; but, computing its windings, 
it must be 150. In some places it is fordable ; in others, 
it has a depth varying from six to twelve feet. The river 
has two banks ; the lower one was formerly subject to in- 
undation about the time of barley -harvest. (Josh. iii. 15 ; 
iv. 18; 1 Chron. xii. 15.) The crossing of this rapid 
torrent by the Israelites, at the time of its overflowing, 
was even more miraculous than their passage through the 
Red Sea ; because, in this instance, no natural agency was 
employed ; no mighty winds to sweep a passage as in the 
former case ; no reflux in the tide, on which minute philo- 
sophers might fasten to depreciate the miracle. (Josh, iv.) 
The edge of the stream and the lower plain, are so thickly 
set with tamarisks, willows, oleanders, and other shrubs, 
that the river is not visible except on the nearest approach. 
The second bank is an elevation of about forty feet above 
the lower one, and on a level with the surrounding plain. 
The river Jordan is interesting from its sacred associ- 
ations. Here, 1800 years ago, John baptized the Ile- 
deemer of the world; and its waters are still thought 
by the superstitious to pos^ss a preternatural efficacy. 
Hence, year after year, thousands of pilgrims resort 
thither to bathe in its sacred stream, to drink of its holy 
waters, and to dip in them the clothes in which they 
are to be buried. 

THE ARNON 

Called also the river of Gad. (2 Sam. xxiv. 5.) This 
river has its source in the mountains of Gilead, descending 
from which, it pursues a circuitous course of about fifty 
miles, and then discharges itself into the Dead Sea. It 
formed the boundary between the kingdoms of the Moab- 
ites and Ammonites ; afterwards, between the former and 



128 



RIVER KISHON. 



the Amorites ; and subsequently, between the Moabites and 
the tribe of Reuben. In summer, the Arnon is almost 
dry ; but in the rainy season flows with great impetuosity, 

THE KISHON 

Kises at the foot of Mount Tabor, and not far from its 
source separates into two branches ; one of which flows 
eastward into the Lake of Tiberias, and the other westward, 
through the plain of Esdraelon, into the bay of Acre, at a 
place called Caipha. 

KANAH, OR BROOK OF REEDS— 

Springs from the mountains of Samaria, and falls into 
the Mediterranean Sea, near Csesarea. It flows only in 
winter, and formerly separated the tribe of Ephraim from 
that of Manasseh. (Josh. xvii. 8, 9.) 

THE JABBOK. 

This river has its source in the eastern part of Persea, 
and after traversing a course of above fifty miles, falls into 
the Jordan. It formed the ancient boundary between 
the territory of the Amorites and that of Bash an. Jacob 
forded it on his return from Mesopotamia. (Gen. xxxii. 
22.) The banks are densely covered with the oleander and 
plane-tree, the wild olive and almond, and many flowering 
shrubs of great variety and elegance. The stream 
is about thirty feet broad, deeper than the Jordan, 
and nearly as rapid, rushing downwards over a rocky 
channel. 

THE BESOR. 

A small stream descending from the mountains of 
Idumaea and falling into the Mediterranean, south of 



BROOK SIHOR. 



129 



Gaza. David crossed this brook in pursuit of the 
Amalekites, who had plundered and burnt Ziklag. 
a Sam. XXX. 9, 10.) 

BEOOK SIHOK 

A stream at the southern extremity of the Land of 
Canaan, which flows into the Mediterranean below Gaza. 
It is called in Scriptui^e the ''^Eiver of the Wilderness''^ 
(Amos vi. 14 ) j and the Paver of Egypt." (Xumb. 
xxxiv. 5 j Joshua xv. 4, 47 ; 2 Kings xxiv. 7 ; 1 Chron. 
xiii. 5.) See page 17. 

BEOOK CEDEON, KEDEON, or KIDE0:>T. 

A small sti'eam on the south-east of Jerusalem, flow- 
ing through the Yalley of Jehoshaphat, and after many 
windings empties itself into the Dead Sea. It sepa- 
rates the city from the Mount of Olives. In the rainy 
season, it has a considerable current in its bed; but 
during the summer is almost diy. Over this brook 
David passed when he fled from Absalom (2 Sam. xv. 
23), and our Lord, on the night in which he was be- 
trayed, (John xmi. 1.) 

GAASH. 

A brook, probably situated near the hill Gaash. 
(2 Sam. xxiii. 30; 1 Chron. xi. 32.) 

CHEEITH. 

This brook appears to have been a rapid torrent, 
running from the mountains and forming a deep ravine, 
in which birds of prey build their eyries. It empties 
itself into the Jordan, north of Bethabara ; and was the 



130 



BROOK SOREK. 



stream by which Elijah dwelt when he was fed by the 
ravens. (1 Kings xvii. 3 — 7.) 

SOREK. 

A brook which flowed through the country of the 
Philistines, and ran into the Mediterranean Sea, be- 
tween Ascalon and Gaza. In the valley through which 
this brook flowed, about half a mile from Eshcol, the 
spies gathered the grapes which they brought to Moses 
as a specimen of the fertility of the land. (Numb. xiii. 
23.) Here, too, dwelt Delilah, the treacherous mistress 
of Samson. (Judges xvi. 4.) 



LAKES OF PALESTINE. 



LAKE OF TIBERIAS. 

Called also the Lake of Cinnereth, or Gennesareth, 
and the Sea of Galilee. This inland sea is a fine ex- 
panse of water, spreading itself along the eastern coast 
of Lower Galilee. It is about seventeen miles long, 
and from six to nine in breadth ; enclosed on all sides 
by lofty hills except at the entrance and outlets of the 
Jordan, which flows through it from north to south. 
These hiUs protect it, in a great measure, from storms 
and tempests, and its surface is usually as smooth as 
that of the Dead Sea. It is, however, at some seasons 
of the year, visited by squalls, whirlwinds, and sudden 
gusts from the mountains ; especially when the strong 
current created by the passage of the Jordan through 



LAKE TIBERIAS. 



131 



i,lie lake is opposed by a south-easterly wind. Its sur- 
face is then lashed into violent commotion, and owing 
to the suddenness and fitful variableness of these 
squalls, the small craft, formerly used on the lake for 
the purpose of fishing, would be in great danger of 
foundering, A storm of this description — a sudden 
gust, or whirlwind sweeping down from the mountains, 
is evidently denoted by the language of the Evangelist. 
(Luke viii. 23, 24.) Dr. Clarke describes the Lake of 
Tiberias as presenting one o£ the most sublime and 
striking prospects in the Holy Land. It is larger than 
any of our Cumberland or Westmoreland lakes ; though 
it yields in majesty to the stupendous features of Loch 
Lomond in Scotland. It does not possess the vastness, 
the broad and bold expanse, of the Lake of Geneva; 
though it strongly resembles it in picturesque beauty. 
This vast sheet of water, covering the bottom of a pro- 
found valley; environed by lofty and precipitous hills; 
its clear, smooth, transparent surface stretching out 
before you like a mirror of liquid silver, added to a 
certain indefinable sensation of awe, which the histo- 
rical associations of the spot awaken, produce im- 
pressions of sublimity and interest, not surpassed by 
any of the romantic landscapes of Palestine. On the 
borders of this lake once stood the cities of Chorazin, 
Capernaum, and Bethsaida, which were often visited 
by our Saviour, and wherein most of his mighty works 
were done. On the beach of Gennesareth, in all pro- 
bability, Jesus stood when he uttered the prophetic 
denouncement recorded by Matthew, (xi. 21.) And 
where are Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum now? 
— "Brought down^^ blotted out of the page of being. 
They now lie in ruin — a ruin so irreparable and complete, 
that the very sites on which they stood can with difiiculty 
be recognised- 



133 



LAKE MEROM. 



LAKE MEROM, or LACUS SAMECHONITIS. 

The waters of Merom constitute the most northern 
of the three lakes supphed by the Jordan. Indeed the 
numerous branches of this river, descending from the 
mountains, unite in this small piece of water, out of 
which issues the single stream which may be considered 
as the Jordan Proper. It is at present called the 
Lake of Houle ; and is situated in a hollow or valley 
twelve miles wide, called the Ard Houle. According 
to Josephus, it is seven miles in length, and four in 
breadth. The marsh is covered with reeds and shrubs, and 
the neighbourhood much infested with wild beasts from the 
mountains. 

LAKE OF SODOM, or DEAD SEA. 

This mysterious water was anciently called the " Sea 
of the Plain,'-* from its being situated in the great Plain 
of Jordan; and the ^*^Salt Sea/^ from the extreme 
saltness of its waters; and the '^East Sea,^^ because it 
lay eastward of Judaea, and in contradistinction from 
the West or Mediterranean Sea. It is designated by 
Josephus, and the Greek and Roman writers, Lacus 
Asphaltites, that is, the bituminous lake, on account of 
the vast quantity of bitumen with which its waters are 
impregnated. Its more frequent modern appellation 
is, the Dead Sea, from a tradition that nothiag can live 
in the vicinity of its saline and sulphureous waters. 
This has been disproved by the testimony of several 
modern travellers, particularly Maundrell, Chateau- 
briand, and Stevens. This lake, w^hich is about 
seventy miles long, and from ten to twenty broad, 
occupies the southern extremity of the Valley of Jordan, 



LAKE OF SODOM. 



133 



and covers what was once the Vale of Siddim^ a rich 
and fertile valley in which stood the five cities, com- 
monly called the Cities of the Plain/' viz., Sodom, 
Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboim^ and Zoar; the first four 
of which were destroyed by fire, while the latter was 
preserved at the intercession of Lot. This mysterious 
lake is described as a sea of molten lead, bounded on 
either side by a range of lofty and barren mountains. 
A perpetual silence hangs over it ; not a wave or ripple 
disturbs its surface; its shores are seldom traversed by 
any footsteps but those of the wild Arab; not a boat 
or vessel of any description has ever been known to 
cross it, from the time it engulphed the guilty cities 
of the plain to the present day ; not a bird builds its 
nest or pours forth its strains of melody within the 
precincts of this doleful region, and a few dry and 
stunted shrubs are the only vestiges of vegetation to be 
seen in its vicinity. 

The Dead Sea is situated between two ridges of 
mountains ; of which those on the eastern or Arabian 
side are the loftiest and the most rocky, and have much 
the appearance of a black perpendicular wall, throwing 
a dark and lengthened shadow over the waters of the 
sea. Dr. Clarke, from a distant view, represents it as ' 
''^ enclosed with mountains of prodigious grandeur ; and 
which resemble, by their position, the shores of the 
Lake of Geneva, opposite to Vevay and Lausanne." 
But the whole region, on a near inspection, bears an 
aspect of the utmost sterility and desolation; unre- 
lieved by a single speck of verdure, or the habitation 
of man or beast. Every traveller who has visited the 
spot, represents it as the most frightful and desolate 
the imagination can conceive ; as if the country which 
was so signally wicked as to require the exterminating 
hand of God, should bear upon it in all ages the marks 



134 



LAKE OF SODOM. 



and evidences of his righteous displeasure. "The 
smallest bird of heaven," says Monsieur Chateaubriand, 
" would not find amongst these rocks a blade of grass 
for its sustenance; everything here announces the 
country of a reprobate people, and seems to breathe 
the horror and incest whence sprung Ammon and 
Moab." Lamartine observes, "The shores are com- 
pletely deserted ; the very air is infected and unhealthy. 
We ourselves felt its influence during the few days we 
passed in this desert. A great depression on the head 
and a feverish sensation attacked us, nor did it quit us 
until we were rid of its atmosphere. The surface of 
the sea everywhere presents the same aspect ; it is 
transparent, it glitters, it pours upon the desert which 
surrounds it the reflection of its waters ; it attracts the 
eye, and it rouses the thought ; but it is dead — motion 
and noise are no more. Its waves, too heavy for the 
wind, are still, and no white foam plays on the pebbles 
of its shores; it is a sea of petrifaction." The water of 
this sea is far more salt than that of the ocean ; con- 
taining one-fourth part of its weight of saline matter in 
a state of perfect desiccation ; and forty-one parts in a 
hundred in a state of simple crystallization ; that is to 
say, 100 lbs. weight of water will yield 41 lbs. of salts; 
while the proportion of saline contents in the water of 
the Atlantic is not more than one twenty-seventh part 
in a state of dryness, and about six lbs. of salts in TOO 
lbs. of the water.* A phial of it having been brought 

* "The water of this lake is found to deposit its salts in copious 
incrustations, and to prove a ready agent in all processes of petrifaction. 
Clothes, boots, and hats, if dipped in the lake, or accidentally wetted 
with its water, are found, when dried, to be covered with a thick coat- 
ing of these minerals. Hence we cannot be surprised to hear, that the 
Lake Asphaltites does not present any variety of fish. Mariti asserts 
that it produces none, and even that those which are carried into it by 
the rapidity of the Jordan, perish almost immediately on being im- 



LAKE OF SODOM. 



135 



to England by Mr. Gordon, at the request of Sir Joseph 
Banks, was analyzed by Dr. Marcet, who gives the fol- 
lowing result : 100 grains of the water contain 

Muriate of Lime ... 3-920 

Muriate of Magnesia ... 10-246 
Muriate of Soda .. 10-360 

Sulphate of Lime ... 0*054 
The water of this sea is, therefore, a mineral water; 
while the large proportion of solid substances which it 
holds in solution, gives it a great specific gravity, and 
consequent buoyancy. In other words, it is more dense, 
and, therefore, better able to buoy up bodies than com- 
mon water. Pliny says that "no living bodies would 
sink in it and Strabo, that " persons going into it up 
to their middle were borne up.^^ Josephus states, that 
'^Vespasian tried the experiment, by ordering several 
persons who could not swim to be thrown into the lake, 
with their hands tied behind them; and that they all 
floated, asif impelled upwards by a subterranean current.^' 
These accounts were, at one time, deemed fabulous, or^ 
at least greatly exaggerated; but their general correct- 
ness is now fully established. Maundrell admits that 

merged in its acrid waves. A few shellsnails constitute the sole tenants 
of its dreary shores, unmixed either with the helix or the muscle." 
Palestine, 249. Chateaubriand, on visiting the lake, found a crust of salt 
covering the surface of the ground, and resembling a snowy plain. No 
murmur, no cooling breeze announced the approach to its margin. The 
strand, bestrewed with stones, was hot ; the waters of the lake were 
motionless, and absolutely dead along the shore. He found it impossible 
to keep the water in his mouth ; it far exceeds that of the sea in saltness, 
and produces upon the lips the effect of a strong solution of alum. 
Before his boots were completely dry, they were covered with salt; 
his clothes, his hat, his hands, in less than three hours were impregnat- 
ed with this mineral. A strong breeze, without cooling the air, produced 
only a slight undulation on the bosom of the lake ; the waves charged 
with salt, soon subsided by their own weigth, and scarcely broke against 
the shore. — Chateaubriand's Travels. 



136 



LAKE OF SODOM. 



"it bore up his body with uncommon force/' Pococke 
says, " I was much pleased with what I observed of this 
extraordinary water, and stayed in it near a quarter of 
an hour. I found I could lie on it in any posture, with- 
out motion, and without sinking. It bore me up in such- 
a manner, that when I struck out in swimming, my legs 
were above the water, and I found it difficult to recover 
my feet. I did not care to venture where it was deep, 
though these effects would probably have been more re- 
markable further in. They have a notion, that if any 
one attempted to swim over, it would burn up the body; 
and they say the same of boats , for there are none on 
the lake.'' Van Egmont and Heyman state, that, on 
swimmiug to some distance from the shore, they found 
themselves, to their great surprise, lifted up by the water. 
^^When I had swam to some distance, I endeavoured to 
sink perpendicularly to the bottom, but could not ; for 
the water kept me continually up, and would certainly 
have thrown me upon my face, had I not put forth all 
the strength I was master of, to keep myself in a per- 
pendicular posture ; so that I walked on the sea, as if I 
had trod on firm ground, without having occasion to make 
any of the motions necessary in treadiug fresh water; 
and when I was swimming, I was obliged to keep my legs 
the greatest part of the time out of water. My fellow- 
traveller was agreeably surprised to find that he could 
swim here, having never learned.'' Capt. Mangles says, 
" The water is as bitter and as buoyant as the people 
have reported. Those of our party who could not swim, 
floated on its surface like corks. On dipping the head 
in, the eyes smarted dreadfully." These accounts are 
amply confirmed by the more recent observations of 
Mr. Stephens, who visited the lake in 1836. 

"From my own experience, I can almost corroborate the 
most extravagant accounts of the ancients. I know, in re- 



LAKE OF SODOM. 



137 



ference to my own specific gravity, that in the Atlantic or 
Mediterranean I cannot float without some httle movement 
of the hands ; and even then my body is almost totally 
submerged ; but here, when I threw myself upon my back, 
• my body was half out of water. It was an exertion even 
for my lank Arabs to keep themselves under. When I 
struck out in swimming, it was exceedingly awkward ; foi 
my legs were constantly rising to the surface, and even 
above the water. I could have lain there and read with 
perfect ease. In fact, I could have slept, and it would 
have been a much easier bed than the bushes of Jericho. 
It was ludicrous to see one of tht horses. As soon as his 
body touched the water^ ha was afloat, and turned over on 
his side ; he struggled with all his force to preserve his 
equilibrium; but^he moment he stopped moving he turned 
over on his side again, and almost on his back, kicking his 
feet out of water, and snorting with terror. The worst of 
my bath was after it was over ; my skin was covered with 
a thick glutinous substance, which it required another ab- 
lution to get rid of ; and after I had wiped myself dry, my 
body burnt and smarted as if I had been turned round be- 
fore a roaring fire. My face and ears were encrusted with 
salt; my hairs stood out, "each particular hair on end;" 
and my eyes were irritated and inflamed, so that I felt the 
eff*ects of it for several days. In spite of all this, however, 
revived and refreshed by my bath, I mounted my horse a 
new man.''^* 

Dr. Marcet's accurate analysis of this water has deter- 
mined its specific gravity to be 1,211, (that of fresh water 
being 1,000,) a degree of density not to be met with in 
any other water.f 

Chateaubriand says, "Several travellers, and among 
others, Troilo and D^Arvieux, assert, that they re- 

* Steven's Travels, pp. 530, 531. 
f London Philosophical Transactions. 1807» 

T 



138 



LAKE OP SODOM. 



marked fragments of walls and palaces in the Dead 
Sea. This statement seems to be confirmed by Maun- 
drell and Father Nau. The ancients speak more posi- 
tively on this subject. Josephus, employing a poetic 
expression, says, that he perceived on the banks of the 
lake, the shades of the overwhelmed cities. Strabo 
gives a circumference of sixty Stadia (about seven miles) 
to the ruins of Sodom, which are mentioned also by 
Tacitus. I know not whether they still exist; but, 
as the lake rises and fails at certain seasons, it is possible 
that it may alternately cover and expose the skeletons of 
the reprobate cities.^^* 

Being desirous,^' says Maundrell, "to see the 
remains (if there were any) of those cities anciently 
situate in this place, and made so dreadful an example 
of the divine vengeance, I diligently surveyed the waters, 
as far as my eye could reach; but neither could I discerni 
any heaps of ruins, nor any smoke ascending above 
the surface of the water, as is usually described m the 
writings and maps of geographers. But yet I must not 
omit what was confidently asserted to me by the Father 
Guardian and the Procurator of Jerusalem, both men 
in years, and seemingly not destitute either of sense 
or probity; viz. that thev ha^ once actually seen one 
of these ruins that it was so near the shore, and 
the water so shallow at that iimdy that they, together with 
some Frenchmen, went to it, and found there several 
pillars and other fragments of % uildings. The cause of our 
being deprived of this sight, \vas, I suppose, the height oi 
the water.^' 

These several authorities are too weighty to be despised , 
and we m.ay collect from them some support to the opinion, 
that at the first destruction of the guilty cities, they were 

• Travels in Greece, &c. vol. i, p- 415. 



LAKE OF SODOM. 



139 



not entirely oTerwhelmecl by tlie waters, but remained more 
or less exposed to new, as mouuments of tlie judgments of 
God; and that, from tlie gradual increase of tlie waters 
through a period of nearly 4000 years, they have by 
degrees receded from view, and are now only to be seen 
through the transparent surface of the lake after seasons of 
long-continued drought, when both the depth and volume 
of its waters are diminished by copious evaporation. The 
rumour above referred to may be true. It involves nothing 
preternatural, nothing improbable. If we believe the Bible 
I'ecord, that bituminous lake does positively cover the once 
fertile Vale of Siddim, and the site of Sodom and Gomor- 
rah. "Why then, may not their ruins yet exist ? The ruins 
of ancient Thebes are still to be seen on the banks of the 
Nile; the pyramids of Egypt have outlived the havoc of 
ages, and still tower as proudly as when they were first 
erected ; and, as the traveller passes along the banks of the 
Euphrates, he may trace the ruins of the tower of BabeL 
Why then should it be deemed a thiug incredible, or, as 
Mr. Conder designates it, a ^' dream of the imagination,^' 
that the fragments of the guilty cities should yet be pre- 
served in the bed of the Dead Sea? This conjecture ga- 
thers additional strength from the fact, that its saline wa- 
ters do not decompose or destroy; on the contrary, they 
harden and preserve everything that is thrown into it. If 
the branch of a tree, or the bone of an animal, fall into the 
lake, it becomes petrified, and thus preserved from putre- 
faction. Naturalists have indulged themselves in many 
speculations as to the manner in which the destruction 
of these cities took place, and the immediate causes en- 
gaged in efl'ecting it. The most plausible conjecture is 
that of Mr. Mansford, which is not only advanced with 
modesty, but discussed with great ability, 

^^It is probable that in this instance, as in most 
others, the Almighty called in the aid of second 



140 



LAKE OP SODOM. 



causes for the accomplisliment of his purpose. The 
most reasonable explauation of such causes is founded 
on what is said in Gen. xiv. 10, of the soil of the Vale 
of Siddim, that it was ^full of slime pits/ or more 
properly, pits of bitumen, for such the word is rendered 
in the Septuagint. Now it is probable that in this 
instance, as in that of the Flood, the inhabitants of the 
offending cities were involved in destruction which met 
them on all sides, from above and from below ; that the 
earth opened its fountains of lava, or pitch, ignited by sub- 
terraneous combustion ; while a fiery shower from above 
expedited and ensured their utter destruction. Whatever 
the means employed might have been, they were evidently 
confined in a remarkable manner to the devoted district ; 
as Lot found safety in Zoar, although only a few miles dis- 
tant, and within the precincts of the plain itself. This 
circumstance seems to show sufiiciently, that the country 
was not destroyed by the ordinary phenomena of an earth- 
quake, as supposed by some ; which would scarcely have 
been so partial in its effects. There is also a passage (Gen. 
xix. 28) which favours very much the above opinion re- 
specting the combustion of the soil ; where it is said, that 
Abraham got up early in the morning, and ' looked toward 
Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, 
and beheld, and lo, the smoke of the country went up as 
tne smoke of a furnace.' 

The character of this catastrophe approaches nearest to 
that of a volcanic eruption ; an opinion which is supported 
by the physical structure of the soil of the neighbourhood 
both before and since ; the bituminous nature of the soil 
as described in Gen. xiv. ; the occasional eruptions of flames 
and smoke, so late as the first century, as attested by 
Josephus ; and the hot springs, and volcanic substances, 
consisting of lava, sulphur, pumice, and basalt, still found 
in the vicinity of the lake, as described by Volney, Burck- 



LAKE OF SODOM. 



141 



Lardt; Buckingliamj and other travellers. TVe know not 
the character of the soil beneath the surface ; the figure, 
material, and stratification of the mountains : whether a 
crater or craters are to be found on any of them^ and if so, 
wliether they have emitted any streams of lava, and what 
was their du'ection. All this^ and much more, in this in- 
teresting neighbourhood, remains to be explored by the ex- 
perienced eye of a geologist. In the absence, however, of 
such information, it may be surmised, that the cities could 
not have been buried beneath a shower of ashes from a 
mountain crater, after the manner of Herculaneum and 
Pompeii ; as this would be incompatible with the testimony 
of those who have witnessed the exposed remains of the 
cities, as well as with the account which represents the 
plain itself as burning, not the neighbouring mountains. 
Xor could they have been overwhelmed by a torrent of 
lava : for beside that this mode is liable to the objection 
already urged of totally obliterating the cities, the ordinary 
progress of a lava would not have been equal to the design, 
as it is never so rapid as not to give ample time for escapca 
The catastrophe might still, however, have been of a vol- 
canic character; but the vale itself, or some part of it, must 
have been the crater; which vomiting forth, not a vitreous 
and sluggish lava, but a far more liquid and diffusive' 
stream from the bituminous stores beneath, involved the 
miserable inhabitants on all sides, from the earth and from 
the air, in a deluge of fire. But as these dreadful agents 
were set in action by Di^uue interposition, so, by the same 
agency, were they controlled in their extent and eff'ects; and 
although natural causes were made subservient to the pur- 
poses of Divine vengeance, they were still mmgledwith those 
which were supernatural ; which was evidenced in the pre- 
servation of Zoar on the actual site of the conflagation. 

Before this event, the Vale of Siddim was a rich and 
fertile valley, a continuation of that of the Jordan ; through 



142 



LAKE OF SODOM. 



which the river took its course southwards. Here we are 
assisted by the investigations of Mr. Burckhardt; who, 
although he had not an opportunity of personally ex- 
amining the spot, obtained veiy satisfactory information, 
that, at the southern extremity of the lake, there is an 
opening leading into the VaUey of El Ghor : which, 
with its southern continuation, termed El Araba, both 
inspected by Burckhardt himself, descends uninterrupt- 
edly to the Elanitic Gulf of the Bed Sea; which it joins 
at Akaba, the site of the ancient Ezion-geber. This 
Mr. Burckhardt supposes to be the prolongation of the 
ancient channel of the Jordan, which discharged itself 
into the sea before its absorption in the expanded Lake 
of Sodom. This is extremely probable; and there can- 
not be a more interesting country in the world than this, 
to be made the subject of an intelKgent and accurate 
geological survey. We may, however, from what we 
know, infer thus much ; that before the face of the coun- 
try was changed by the judgment which fell upon it, the 
ground now covered by the water of the Dead Sea was 
an extensive valley, called the Yale of Siddim, on which 
stood the five cities, and through which the Jordan flowed 
in its course to the sea. That it flowed through the vale, 
may be inferred from the great fertility of the latter } 
that it passed beyond it, is equally to be inferred from 
the want of space over which the water could expand 
itself to be exhausted by evaporation. But the discovery 
of the opening on the southern border of the lake, and 
the inclined valley leading from thence to the sea, have 
rendered these inferences almost conclusive. 

"We may then, and must^ in fact, refer the origin of 
the lake to the epoch in question : when the com 
bustion of the soil, or of its substrata, occasioned a 
subsidence of the level of the valley, by which the river 
was arrested in its course, and a basin formed to re- 



LAKE OF SODOM. 



143 



ceive its -paters: whicli gradually spread themselves 
over its surface^ and would no doubt soon have filled it, 
and resumed its ancient channel to the southward^ had 
not their increase been retarded by the process of eva- 
poration^ which advanced in an increasing ratio as the 
expanse of crater grew wider and wider. The newly 
formed lake would thus continue to extend itself, until 
the supply of water from the streams^ and the consump- 
tion by evaporation, arrived at a balance. When this 
took place, or whether it ha« ever yet taken place, 
cannot be known; at least without such observations 
as have not yet been made. That it has not long been 
the case, may be inferred from the disappearance of the 
ruins which were visible two centuries ago." * 

There yet remains to be noticed, in connexion with 
this subject, the far-famed "Apple of Sodom," 

"which grew 
Near that bituminous lake where Sodom stood." 

" Tacitus and Josephus both mention this fruit as 
beautiful to the eye, but crumbling, at the touch, to 
dust and bitter ashes. Reland, Maundrell, and Shaw, 
all express themselves as sceptical concerning its ex- 
istence. But none of them explored the borders of the- 
lake sufficiently to entitle them them to give a decided 
opinion on the subject, having only seen its northern 
shore. Pococke is inclined to lay more stress on the 
ancient testimonies ; and he supposes the apples to be 
pomegranates, ' which, ha\dng a tough, hard rind, and 
being left on the trees two or three years, the inside may 
be dried to dust, and the outside may remain fair.' 
Hasselquist, however, the pupil of Linnseus, pronounces 
the Poma Sodomitica to be the fruit of the Solanum me- 
longena, (egg-plant nightshade, or mad-apple,) which 

•Hansford's Gazetteer, pp. 124—126. 



144 



LAKE OF SODOM. 



lie states to be found in great abundance round Jericho^ 
in the ya,lleys near tbe Jordan,, and in the neighbour- 
hood of the Dead Sea. * It is true/ he says, ' that 
these apples are sometimes full of dust; but this appears 
only when the fruit is attacked by an insect {tenthredo)^ 
which converts the whole of the inside into dust, 
leaving nothing but the rind entire, without causing it 
to lose any of its cfolour.-' M. Seetzen, differing from 
Hasselquist in opinion, supposes the apple of Sodom to 
be the fruit of a species of cotton-tree, which, he was 
told, grows in the plain of El Ghor, in appearance 
resembling a fig-tree, and known by the name of 
Abeschaez. The cotton is contained in the fruit, 
which is like a pomegranate, but has no pulp. Cha- 
teaubriand follows with his discovery of what he con- 
cludes to be the long- sought fruit. The shrub which 
bears it, he says, grows two or three leagues from the 
mouth of the Jordan: it is thorny, with small taper 
leaves, and its fruit is exactly like the little Egyptian 
lemon both in size and colour. ' Before it is ripe, it is 
filled with a corrosive and saline juice : when dried, it 
yields a blackish seed, which may be compared to ashes, 
and which in taste resembles bitter pepper.* He 
gathered half a dozen of these fruits, but has no name 
for them, either popular or botanical. Next comes Mr. 
Jolliffe. He found in a thicket of bushwood, about 
half a mile from the Plain of Jericho, ^ a shrub five or six 
feet high, on which grew clusters of fruit, about the 
size of a small apricot, of a bright yellow colour, 
which contrasting with the delicate verdure of the 
foliage, seemed like the union of gold with emeralds. 
Possibly, when ripe, they may crumble into dust upon 
any violent pressure.^ Those which this gentleman 
gathered did not crumble, nor even retain the slightest 
mark of indenture from the touch; they would seem 



LAKE OF SODOM. 



145 



to want, therefore, the most essential characteristic of 
the fruit in question. But they were not ripe. This 
shrub is probably the same as that described by Cha- 
teaubriand. Lastly, Captains Irby and Mangles have 
no doubt that they have discovered it in the Oskar 
plant, which they noticed on the shores of the Dead 
Sea, grown to the stature of a tree; its trunk mea- 
suring, in many instances, two feet -or more in circum- 
ference, and the boughs at least fifteen feet high. T he 
filaments enclosed in the fruit, somewhat resemble the 
down of a thistle, and are used by the natives a& 
a stuffing for their cushions ; 'they likewise twist them, 
like thin rope, into matches for their guns, w^hich, they 
assured us, required no application of sulphur to render 
them combustible.^ This is probably the same tree 
that M. Seetzen refers to. But still the correspondence 
to the ancient description is by no means perfect ; 
there being little resemblance between cotton or thistle- 
down, and ashes or dust. M. Chateaubriand^s golden 
fruit full of bitter seed, comes the nearest to what is 
told us of the deceitful apple. If it be anything more 
than a fable, it must have been a production peculiar 
to this part of Palestine, or it would not have excited 
such general attention. On this account, the oskar' 
and the solanum seem alike unentitled to the distinc- 
tion ; and for the same reason, the pomegranate must 
altogether be excluded from consideration. The fi uit 
of the solanum melongena, which belongs to the sa me 
genus as the common potatoe, is white, resembling a 
large egg, and is said to impart an agreeable a<cid 
flavour to soups and sauces, for the sake of which it is 
cultivated in the south of Europe. This could hardly 
be what Tacitus and Josephus referred to. It is possi- 
ble, indeed, that what they describe, may have origin- 
ated, like the oak-galls in this country, in the work oi 



146 



POOL OF SILOAM. 



some insect: for these remarkable productions some- 
times acquire a considerable size and beauty of colour. 
Future travellers will be inexcusable if they leave this 
question undecided."* 



FOUNTAINS, &c., OF PALESTINE. 



SILOAM 

A spring or fountain flowing from beneath the rock, 
under the walls of Jerusalem, in the Valley of Jehoshaphat, 
which is enlarged into a small pool or reservoir. Dr. 
Richardson says, that " this pool receives a strong current 
of water by a subterraneous passage, cut in the north side 
of Mount Sion ; and which seems as if it came by a con- 
duit cut through the rock from the pool of Hezekiah, on 
the north side of the city. The fountain sends forth but 
a scanty portion of water, and, compared with the ideas 
excited in the mind by the invocation of the poet, creates 
a feeling of disappointment.'^ The turbid water of this 
stream is still used by pilgrims for diseases of the eye. 
It is said to have a kind of ebb and flow ; sometimes dis- 
charging its current, like the fountain of Vaucluse, at 
others retaining and scarcely suffering it to run at all. 
Near to this pool, in which our Lord directed the blind 
man to wash (John ix. 7), stood the Tower of Siloam, 
alluded to in Luke xiii. 4. 

* Conder*s Palestine, pp. 222—225. 

For further information on this subject, see Mansford's Gazetteer, 
Art Dead Sea. Paxton's Illustrations, yoI. 1. p. 163, et seq. Home's 
Introd. vol. iii. p. 40, et seq. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal 
Society of London, 1807. Quarterly Journal of Science, vol. viii. 
p. 165. Captains Irby and Mangles' Travels in Egypt, p. 453. Vol- 
ney's Travels in Egypt and Syria, vol. i. p. 288. Turner's Tour in the 
Levant, vol. ii. p, 227. Buckingham's Travels in Palestine, p, 2fi3, 
Carnes's Letters from the East, p. 317, 318, «&c. &c. 



POOL OF BETHESDA. 

POOL OF BETHESDA.' 
(Beth-Chesda, house of mercij^ so named from tlie 
supernatoal and healing properties it possessed. This 
reservoir, a pool or bath 150 feet long, and 40 broad, is 
^till to be seen near St. Stephen^s Gate, where it 
bounded the temple on the north. It had five porches 
or porticoes, in which the sick waited for the troubling 
of the waters. It appears to have been invested, at in- 
tervals, with the supernatural power of curing the first 
person who should step into it after this virtue was 
imparted. (John v. 1 — 7.) The miraculous virtue of 
these waters is said, by Tertulhan, to have ceased after 
the Jews had rejected and crucified the Messiah. The 
Pool of Bethesda possesses a melancholy interest, from 
the fact of its being the only remaining fragment of 
the primitive architecture of the Jews, the last remnant 
of Jerusalem as it appeared in the days of Solomon. 

JACOBUS WELL 

Is situated in a beautiful valley, between the moun- 
tains of Ebal and Gerizim, in the parcel of ground which 
Jacob bought at the hands of the children of Hamor, a 
short distance from the city of Samaria. The well is 
at present covered with an old stone vault, into which 
you are let down through a narrow aperture ; and then, 
removing a broad flat stone, you discover the mouth of 
the well itself. It is dug in firm rock, and extends 
about three yards in diameter, and thirty-five yards in 
depth ; though the water is seldom more than four or 
five feet deep. The monks tell travellers that it is dry 
all the year round, except on the anniversary of the day 
when our Lord sat upon it, and conversed with the wo* 
man of Samaria ; but that then it bubbles up with 
abundance of water. The story itself, however, is 
a mere bubble — a popish legend long since exploded. 



CHAPTER V. 



NATURAL HISTORY. 

Fertility of the Soil — Geology — Vegetable Productions — Zoology: 
Animals of Palestine — Ornithology: Birds of Palestine: Land Birds 
— Water Birds. 

The Sacred Volume describes, in glowing language, the 
fertility and productive capabilities of the Land of Canaan* 
When Lot separated from Abraham, he lifted up his eyes, 
and beheld all the plain of Jordan that it was ivell watered 
everywhere, as the garden of the Lord, as the land of Egypt/* 
(Gen. xiii. 10.) When Isaac " sowed in that land," he re- 
ceived in the same year " a hundred-fold" (Gen. xxvi. 12.) 
Isaac, when blessing Jacob, and foretelling his future pros- 
perity, declared that God would give him of the dew of 
heaven and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and 
wine." (Gen. xxvii. 28.) It is further described as a "land 
flowing with milk and honey (Exod. iii. 8) ; and as " a 
good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths, 
that spring out of valleys and hills ; a land of wheat and 
barley, and vines, and fig-trees , and pomegranates ; a land of 
oil-olive and honey ; a land wherein thou shalt eat bread 
without scarceness, thou shalt not lack anything in it ; a 
land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou 
mayest dig copper" (Deut. viii. 7 — 9.) And the testi- 
mony thus borne to the fertility of the land is corroborated 
by many writers both ancient and modern. Tacitus com- 



FERTILITY OF THE SOIL. 



149 



pares both the climate and the soil to those of Italy, 
and particularly specifies the palm and balsam-trees as 
productions which gave the country an advantage over 
his own.^ Justin confirms the account of Tacitus, 
respecting the exuberant produce of Palestine, its beau- 
tiful climate, its palm and fragrant balsam-trees. t 
Strabo speaks of several districts as fertile, especially 
about Jordan and Jericho. Hecatseus, as cited by Jose- 
phus, describes Jud^a as one of the best and most 
fertile countries — optimi et feracissimi soli T P. de 
Valle, in his Letters, notices the exceeding beauty of 
the country; the fruitfulness not only of the valleys, 
but of its mountainous districts, and the abundance 
which even its parched rocks " would yield, if 
favoured with diligent cultui^e.^ The palms of Judsea 
are celebrated by the elder Pliny ; § and Ammianus 
Marcellinus extols the beauty of the country, and its 
large and handsome cities. || The Jewish historian has 
borne similar testimony : — 

" The two Galileos," says he, " have always been able 
to make a strong resistance on all occasions of war; 
for the Galileans are inured to war from their infancy, 
and have always been very numerous. Their soil is 
universally rich and fruitful, and full of plantations of 
all sorts of trees; so that its fertility invites the most 
slothful to take pains in its cultivation. Accordingly, 
the whole of it is cultivated by its inhabitants, and no 
part of it lies idle. Although the greater part of Pereea 
is desert and rough, and much less disposed for the 
production of the milder sorts of fruits, yet in other 

* " Rari imbres, uber solum ; exuberant fruges nostrum ad morem ; 
prsBterque eas, balsamum et palmse." Taciti Hist. lib. v. cap. 6. 

t "Sed non minor loci ejus apricitatis quam ubertatis admiratio 
est.'* Justin. Hist. Philipp. lib. xxxvi. cbap. 3, 

X Yalle, lib. xiii. § Hist. Nat. lib. xiii. cap. 6, 

II Yol. i. lib. xiv. cap. 8. 



150 



FERTILITY OP THE SOIL. 



parts it has a moist soil, and produces all kinds of 
fruits. Its plains are planted with trees of all sorts; 
the olive-tree, the vine, and palm-tree are principally 
cultivated there. It is also sufficiently watered with 
torrents that issue from the mountains, and with springs 
which never fail to run, even when the torrents fail them, 
as they do in dog-days. Samaria is entirely of the same 
nature with J udsea. Both countries are composed of hiUs 
and valleys ; they are moist enough for agriculture, and 
very fertile. They have abundance of trees, and are full of 
autumnal fruit, both of that which grows wild, and also 
that which is the effect of cultivation. They are not natu- 
rally watered by many rivers, but derive their chiei 
moisture from rain-water, of which they have no want. 
The waters of such rivers as they have are exceedingly 
sweet ; and, in consequence of the excellence of their 
grass, the cattle reared, in those countries yield more milk 
than do those of other places.'^* These testimonies of 
the ancients are amply confirmed by the observations of 
Maundrell, Shaw, Hasselquist, and other modern travel- 
lers. Maundrell says, " The very rocks were made fruit- 
ful ; and perhaps there is no spot of ground in the whole 
land, that was not formerly improved to the production of 
something ministering to the sustenance of human life.^^f 
"Even now," Dr. Shaw affirms, "it yields a much 
preferable crop to the very best part of the coast of Syria, 
and Phenice. The cotton that is gathered in the Plains 
of Ramah, Esdraelon, and Zebulun, is in greater esteem 
than that which is cultivated near Sidon and Tripoli ^ 
neither is it possible for pulse, wheat, or any sort of 
grain, to be more excellent than what is commonly sold 
at Jerusalem." He also notices "the many tokens which 
axe to be met with of the ancient vineyards about Jeru- 

* Josephus de Bell. Jud. lib. iii. cap. 3. 
t Maundrell's Journey, pp. 64, 65. 



FERTILITY OF THE SOIL. 



151 



salem and Hebron/' and "the great quantity of grapes 
and raisins which are from thence brought daily to the 
maj'kets of Jerusalem, and sent yearly to Egypt/^* 

Dr. Clarke thus describes the appearance of the country 
betwen Napolose and Jerusalem : — " The road was moun- 
tainous, rocky, and full of loose stones ; yet the cultivation 
was everywhere marvellous. It afforded one of the most 
striking pictures of human industry which it is possible tc 
behold. The limestone rocks and stony valleys of Jud i 
were entirely covered with plantations of figs, vines, and 
olive-trees ; not a single spot seemed to be neglected. The 
hills, from their basis to their upmost summits, were en- 
tirely covered with gardens; all of these were free from 
weeds, and in the highest state of agricultural perfection. 
Even the sides of the most barren mountains had been 
rendered fertile, by being divided into terraces, like steps 
rising one above another, whereon soil has been accumu- 
lated with astonishing labour. Among the standing crops, 
we noticed millet, cotton, linseed, and tobacco ; and, occa- 
sionally, small fields of barley. A sight of this territory 
can alone convey any adequate idea of its surprising pro- 
duce. It is truly the Eden of the East, rejoicing in the 
abundance of its wealth. Under a wise and beneficent 
government, the produce of the Holy Land would exceed 
all calculation. Its perennial harvest; the salubrity of its 
air; its limpid springs; its rivers, lakes, and matchless 
plains ; its hills and dales — all these, added to the serenity 
of its climate, prove this land to be indeed ' a field which 
the Lord hath blessed ; God hath given it of the dew of 
heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn 
and wine.''"t *'Thus much is certain,'^ says Volney, 
" and it is the advantage of hot over cold countries, that 

• Shaw's Travels, (folio edit.) p. 336. 
Clarke'^ Trayels, vol. iv. p. 283. 



352 



FERTILITY OF THE SOIL. 



in the former, wherever there is water, vegetation may be 
perpetually maintained, and made to produce an uninter- 
rupted succession of fruits to flowers^ and flowers to 
fruits. In cold, nay, even in temperate climates, on the 
contrary, nature, benumbed for several months, loses in 
a sterile slumber the third part or even half the year. 
The soil which has produced grain, has not time before 
the decline of summer heat to mature vegetables ; a 
second crop is not to be expected ; and the husbandman 
sees himself condemned to a long and fatal repose. 
Syria is exempt from these inconveniences ; if, therefore, 
it so happens, that its productions are not such as its 
natural advantages would lead us to expect, it is less 
owing to its physical than to its political state/' And yet, 
in the face of such accumulated and decisive evidence, 
Voltaire has ventured to assert that Judaea ever has been 
what it is at present, " one of the worst of all inhabited 
countries of Asia, being almost entirely covered with 
parched rocks, with one layer of soil, and such as, if cul- 
tivated, might be compared to Switzerland.^^ 

With this solitary exception, all writers, ancient and 
modern, concur in representing the soil of Palestine as 
highly fertile and productive. That this property of its 
soil should have disappeared over so large a part, will not 
appear at all surprising to any one who will contemplate 
for a moment the history of this unfortunate country 
when he reflects that, for nearly 2000 years, it has been 
given up to the ravages of fire and the sword : and that, for 
a great part of that time, it has been in the hands of a 
people whose very policy is to depopulate and to destroy. 
The low lands, partially cultivated, have ceased to show 
that exuberant fertility which they derived from human 
toil ; and have assumed, over large tracts, a barren and 
forbidding aspect, without a tree or a shrub ; or are covered 
with wild fig-trees, thistles, withered grass, and underwood. 



GEOLOGY. 



153 



But, under tMs mask, the same riclmess of soil still ex- 
ists ; and the same sun still pours his beams upon the 
sui'face, ready to call forth all its ancient fruitfalness, 
when peace and industry shall again visit Judea. The 
soil of the mountains, no longer kept up by the embank- 
ments, which in many places have fallen to decay, has 
been long since washed down into the valleys, and car- 
ried away ; and the trees and plants which covered their 
sides have, to a great extent, shared the same fate, or 
been wantonly destroyed in the numerous wars and re- 
volutions of which this country has been the scene. It 
is fortunate that patches of the original cultivation yet 
exist, to show both its mode and its extent ; and that 
this country, once so favoured, required no mii'acle to 
render it one of the most productive on the earth.* 

GEOLOGY. 

Of the geology of Palestine we possess very limited 
information. It is described as consisting almost 
throughout of broken limestone rocks. The hills in 
the northern part are composed of a hard calcareous 
stone, of a whitish colour, and which rings in the ear 
when smartly struck with a hammer. Like all limestone 
strata, they exhibit a great number of hollows and 
caverns. Yolney relates that ii^on ores abound in the 
extensive range of Libanus ; and it is said, that every 
summer the inhabitants work these mines, which are 
simply ochreous. Bui'ckhardt found the ground and 
a spring at Hasbeya, on the north of Djebel Esheikh, 
or Mount Hermon, strongly impregnated with iron; 
and it is highly probable that the same metal may be 
found in many parts of Judaea. The mountains near 

• Mansfori's Gazettee.-, p. 298, 



X 



154 



GEOLOGY. 



Jerusalem, which, on one hand, stretch to the river 
Jordan, and, on the other, extend to the plains of 
Jaffa and Acre, are much the same in their compositiom 
as the rocky chain of Lebanon. There can be no 
doubt, from the geological structure of Syria, that if 
might yield a variety of precious stones; the topa% 
the emerald, the chrysoberyl, several species of roci 
crystal, and also of the finer jasper; but, even if thii. 
were known to the natives, the rapacity of their rulerfe 
would prevent its disclosure. The upper strata of the 
rocky hills along the coast, are composed of a soft 
chalky substance, with a great variety of corals, shells, 
and other marine exuviae imbedded in it. Upon the Cas- 
travan Mountains, near Beyrout, there is a singular bed, 
consisting of a whitish stone, but of the slate kind, which 
unfolds in every flake of it a great number and variety 
of fishes. These lie exceedingly flat and compressed, 
like the fossil specimens of fern ; and yet are so well 
preserved, that the smallest lineaments, fibres of their 
fins, scales, and other specific properties of structure, 
are easily distinguished. 

The heights of Carmel present similar phenomena. 
In the chalky beds that surround its summit, are 
numerous hollow flints, lined in the inside with a 
variety of sparry matter, and bearing some resemblance 
to petrified fruit. 

Lead is said to exist at a place called Sheff, near 
Mount Sinai; and ancient lead-mines have lately been 
discovered by Mr. Burton, in the mountains between 
the Red Sea and the Nile, though there is no notice 
of this metal being found within the proper limits of 
Palestine. Gold is always spoken of by the Hebrew 
writers as a foreign production : and certainly, for all 
practical purposes, it was not found in Palestine. Dr, 
Clarke, however, observes that it was formerly found 



Gf:OLOGY. 



155 



near the lake of Tiberias. He says^ " We noticed an 
appearance of tlie kind, but on account of its trivial 
nature, neglected to pay attention to it, notwithstanding 
the hints given by more than one writer upon the sub- 
ject/^ 

"The Scriptures do not mention that Palestine 
afforded any silver; yet some traces of that metal 
appear to have been found. When Volney was among 
the Druses, it was mentioned to him that an ore afford- 
ing silver and lead had been discovered on the declivity 
of a hill in Lebanon; but, as such a discovery would 
have ruined the whole district, by attracting the atten- 
tion of the Turks, much haste was made to destroy all 
appearance of its existence. The neighbourhood of 
Hasbeya, near the sources of the Jordan, is noted for 
its mines of asphaltum. Burckhardt was told by a priest 
that in this same neighbourhood, a metal was found, of 
which no one knew the name or made any use. Ac- 
cordingly, on digging about, the traveller found several 
small pieces of a metallic substance, which he took to 
be a native amalgam of mercury. According to the 
description given him, cinnabar is also found there; 
but, after digging for an hour, no specimens of it were 
found." * 

A vein of coal has also been discovered ; but there 
is no one to sink a mine. And report says, there 
was anciently a copper-mine at Aleppo, which, Volney 
is of opinion, must long since have been abandoned. 
These facts, however, sufficiently verify the description 
of the Promised Land given by Moses (Deut. viii. 
9) : "A land whose stones are iron, and out of whose 
mountains thou mayest dig copper" as the Hebrew 
ought to be rendered, there being no such thing 



• Pictorial Palestine, p, 73. 



156 



GEOLOGY. 



in nature as a brass mine. Dr. Clarke observed ba- 
saltic phenomena between Cana and Turan. ^^The 
extremities of columns prismatically formed, penetrated 
the surface of the soil, so as to render our journey 
rough and unpleasant." These marks of crystallization 
generally denote the presence of water beneath the 
surface. When the crystals have obtained a certain 
regularity of structure, their form is often hexagonal, 
resembling particular kinds of spar and the emerald. 
Such formations are very frequent in the -Ndcinity of 
ancient lakes, in the beds of large rivers, or on the 
shores of the ocean. 

Among the pebbles of the Lake of Tiberias, pieces of 
porous rock have been found, not unlike the toadstone 
of England ; its cavities are filled with zeolite. Hazzel- 
quist informs us, that the hill of Tiberias, whence issues 
the fountain that supplies the warm baths, is formed of 
a sulphureous stone, black and brittle. 

On the east side of the Jordan, near Sassa, on the 
way to Damascus, Ali Bey describes a considerable 
extent of country of a volcanic nature, black and porous, 
with the remains of a crater. The whole of the country, 
indeed, east of Jordan, according to Burckhardt, is 
calcareous, with a frequent admixture of basalt; but, at 
the foot of the mountains east of the Dead Sea, Mr. 
Legh found granite, porphyry, breccia, serpentine, and 
basalt, fallen down from the rocks above. These, 
according to the system of Werner, characterize the 
oldest or primitive formations. 

There is strong reason to believe that this region was, 
at a remote period, the theatre of volcanic eruptions, 
the evident effects of which may still be traced along 
the banks of the Jordan and those of the Dead Sea. 
Portions of lava, bitumen, and pumice, are, from time 
to time, thrown ashore by its waters. The sediment 



GEOLOGY. 



157 



deposited by the water is thick, of the consistence of 
paste, strongly impregnated with sulphur, and is covered 
with two skins, or cuticles ; of which the lower is of a fine 
dark green, and the uppermost of a light rusty colour. 
In the same neighbourhood, portions of quartz are found, 
encrusted with an impure salt and nodules of clay, ex- 
tremely compact. Flinty slate too, lies scattered on 
the sand in great abundance ; and, amidst the common 
clay, which forms the substratum of the soil, are pre- 
pendicular layers of a sort of brown argil, assuming 
somewhat of the slaty structure. 

The Asphaltic vale is likewise remarkable for a 
species of foetid limestone, which emits a very offensive 
effluvium. This arises from the presence of sulphuretted 
hydrogen, which is educed by means of friction. The 
fragments obtained in the Valley of Jordan possess 
this property in a high degree. Indeed, the Oriental 
limestone is more copiously impregnated with hydro- 
sulphuret than any hitherto found in Europe. "The 
present aspect of this region," a recent traveller observes^ 
" was well described by Moses in a memorable passage 
(Deut. xxix. 22, &c.), depicting the desolations of Judsea: 
^The generation to come of your children that shall rise 
up after you, and the stranger that shall come from a far 
land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and 
the sicknesses which the Lord hath laid upon it; and that 
the whole land therefore is brimstone, and salt, and burning, 
that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth 
therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and G-omorrah, Ad- 
mah, and Zeboim, which the Lord overthrew in his anger, 
and in his wrath : even all nations shall say. Wherefore 
hath the Lord done thus unto this land? What meanech 
the heat of this great anger ? ' " * Well does Mr. Eisk re- 
mark, '^Thereis a veil of awful mystery overhanging this 

*Page 310 of a work of interest and unaffected piety, published while 



158 



GEOLOGY. 



dread locality. It is at once a grave and a monument, 

on every hair-breadth of v^^hich are recorded, in 

characters of fiery desolation, the irresistible terrors of a 
just, a tempted, an avenging God/' 

There are no volcanoes now existing in Judaea, nor 
is positive mention made of any in history ; although 
volcanic traces, as stated above, are found in many parts 
on its eastern side ; as they are also in the mountains of 
Edom, the Djebel Shera, and Hesma. A volcanic tufa 
is likewise mentioned by Burckhardt, about the head of 
the Jordan, under Mount Hermon. It is well known 
that volcanoes of remote ages, long since become extinct, 
are found thickly scattered over the earth ; and the traces 
above referred to, indicate volcanic operations at some 
period in the countries bordering on Judsea. Whether 
in these countries, or in Judaea itself, any distinct vestiges 
of mountain craters are to be found, they have never yet 
been sufficiently examined to determine. It is probable 
that, whenever the state of the country may permit 
travellers to quit the beaten tracks, and to take a wider 
range, freed from the encumbrance of a military escort, 
and the watch of an ignorant and jealous people, a more 
extensive and accurate investigation will discover such 
remains. 

There can be no doubt that many of the Sacred 
Writers were familiarly acquainted with the pheno- 
mena of volcanoes; whence it may be inferred that 
they were presented to their observation at no great 
distance, and from which they drew some of their 
sublimest imagery. Mr. Horne has adduced the follow- 
ing instances : — The mountains quake at him, and the 
hills MELT, and the earth is burned at his presence. His 
fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown 

these sheets are passing through the press — "A Pastor's Memorial of the 
Holy Land, hy the Rev. George Fisk, Prebendary of Lichfield," Lon^ 
ion : Seeleye. 



aEOLOGY. 



159 



down by him." (Nahum i. 5^ 6.) Behold, the Lord 
Cometh forth out of his place, and will come down and tread 
upon the high places of the earth. And the mountains 
SHALL BE MOLTEN Under Mm, and the valleys shall be 
CLEFT AS WAX BEFORE THE FIRE, and as the waters that 
are poured down a steep place!^ (Mic. i. 3, 4.) "0 that 
thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come 
down, that the mountains might flow down at thy 
presence. As when the melting fire burneth, tee 
FIRE CAUSETH THE WATERS TO BOIL, to make thy name 
known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble 
at thy presence. When thou didst terrible things which we 
looked not for, thou earnest down, the mountains flowed 
DOWN at thy presence." (Isa. kiv. 1 — 3.) Behold, 1 
am against thee, destroying mountain, saith the 
Lord, which destroyest all the earth ; and I will stretch 
out mine hand up&n thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, 
and will make thee a burnt mountain. And they shall 
not take of thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone for 
foundations ; but thou shalt be desolate for ever." (Jer. 
li. 25, 26.) Dr. Henderson thinks that the passage 
from the 15 th to the 20th verse of chapter xxii. of 
the Book of Job has a particular reference to the de- 
struction of the cities of the plain by a volcanic erup- 
tion. To these examples others might be added from 
the Book of Psalms. The hills melted like wax at 
the presence of the Lord." (Ps. xcvii. 5.) ^'He looketh on 
the earth, and it trembleth; he toucheth the hills, and 
they SMOKE." (Ps. civ. 32.)* 

*See Hansford's Scrip. Gaz. p. 291. Ransom's Biblical Topo- 
graphy, p. 210. Applegate's Sacred Geography and History, pp. 97 — 
100. Yolney's Travels in Egypt and Syria, vol. L 



160 



VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. 



VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. 

" It has been remarked/' says Dr. Russell, " that, if the 
advantages of nature were duly seconded by the efforts of 
human skill, we might, in the space of twenty leagues, 
bring together in Syria, the vegetable riches of the most 
distant countries. Besides wheat, rye, barley, beans, and 
the cotton-plant, which are cultivated everywhere, there 
are several objects of utility or pleasure, peculiar to different 
localities. Palestine, for example, abounds in sesamum, 
which affords oil ; and indhoura, similar to that of Egypt 
Maize thrives in the light soil of Balbec, and rice is culti- 
vated with success along the marsh of Haoule. Within 
these twenty-five years, sugar-canes have been introduced 
into the gardens of Saide and Beyrout, which are not in- 
ferior to those of the Delta. Indigo grows mthout culture 
on the banks of the Jordan, and only requires a little care 
to secure a good quahty. The hills of Latakie produce 
tobacco, which creates a commercial intercourse with 
Damietta and Cairo. This crop is at present cultivated in 
all the mountains. 

The white mulberry forms the riches of the Druses, by 
the beautiful silks that are obtained from it; and the vine, 
raised on poles, or creeping along the ground, furnishes 
red and white wines equal to those of Bourdeaux. Jaffa 
boasts of her lemons and water-lemons ; Gaza possesses 
both the dates of Mecca, and the pomegranates of Algiers. 
Tripoli has oranges which might vie with those of Malta ; 
Beyrout has figs like those of Marseilles, and bananas like 
those of St. Domingo. Aleppo is unequalled for pistachio 
nuts ; and Damascus possesses all the the fruits of Europe : 
inasmuch as apples, plums, and peaches, grow with equal 
.facility on her rocky soil.""*^ 



* Palestine, p. 444, et seq. 



VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. 



161 



The wheat of Palestine^ like that of Egypt, is exceed- 
ingly prolific, yielding to the cultivator thirty, sixty, and 
even a hundred-fold. In the treaty concluded between 
Solomon and Hiram, king of Tyre, the Hebrew monarch 
was to supply the latter with twenty thousand measures of 
wheat yearly for his household, in exchange for the timber 
of Lebanon (1 Kings v. 11) ; and the same quantity for 
the hewers that cut timber (2 Chron. ii. 10), together 
with an equal number of measures of barley; and Ezekiel 
(xxvii. 17) mentions the wheat of Minnith and Pannag, 
together with oil, honey, and balm, as articles of export 
from Judaea to the same city. Indeed, the province of 
Tyre and Sidon was supplied with corn from Palestine at 
the commencement of the Christian era. (Acts xii. 20.) 

Among the trees and shrubs of Palestine, were the 
almug or algum, the almond, the aloe, the apple or 
citron, the ash, the pine, the shrub furnishing the re- 
sinous substance called balm (see Gilead), the bay-tree or 
laurel, the cedar (see Lebanon), the cypress, the fig-tree, 
the fir, the mulberry, the mustard-tree, the myrtle, the 
oak, the olive, the palm, the poplar, the sycamore, the 
willow, the vine, the spina Christi, the pom^egranate, the 
terebinth, and tbe pistachia. 

Many of these are still found in Palestine ; and several 
of them, from their frequent mention in Scripture, require 
a distinct notice. 

The almug or algum, is now unknown. From the 
situation in which it grew, namely, on Lebanon, it was 
probably a species of pine ; which is what Josephus calls 
it, who says the wood resembled that of the fig-tree, but 
was whiter and more shining. From the uses to which it 
was applied, which were for ornamental work and for 
musical instruments (1 Kings x. 12; 2 Chron. ix. 11), 
its wood was no doubt of close texture and beautiful 
appearance, admitting of a fine polish. 



Y 



VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. 



The Mustard-tree, like the whale, has been a fruitful 
source of raillery with sceptics ; in which their ignorance 
equals their venom. A little humility, without a knoW' 
ledge of the facts, might teach them that the lowly shrub 
of our cold climate, might, in a warmer temperature, 
attain a size sufficient to realize the words of our Saviour. 
But Scheuchzer describes a species of mustard which grows 
several feet high, having a tapering stalk, and spreading 
into many branches; and Linnseus mentions a species 
whose branches were real wood, which he names Sinapi 
Erucoides/^ 

The Palm-tree once grew in great abundance, especially 
in the vicinity of Sichem, Engedi, and Jericho, which was 
anciently termed^ by way of distinction, the "City of Palms." 
(Deut. xxxiv. 3.) It was celebrated for its beauty, fruit- 
fulness, and durability; on which account, probably, it was 
chosen as the symbol or emblem of the once flourishing 
country where it grew. There are coins, yet extant, of 
Vespasian and Titus, on which Judsea is personified by a 
disconsolate widow sitting under a palm-tree. This tree 
lives from two to three hundred years ; and when its aged 
trunk decays, a young scion is seen springing from its root 
in all the vigour and beauty of vegetable youth. This is 
supposed to have given rise to the fable of the phoenix 
dying and rising again from its own ashes.* It has also 
supplied the Psalmist with a beautiful simile. As the 
momentary prosperity of the wicked is compared to the 
transient verdure of grass, so the durable felicity of the 
righteous is likened to the lasting strength and beauty of 
the palm-tree. " But chiefly is the comparison applicable 
to that Just One, the King of Righteousness, and Tree of 
Life: eminent and upright; ever verdant and fragrant; 
under the greatest pressure and weight of sufierings^ still 

* The palm-tree was called by the Greeks (poivi^ — Phcenix, 



VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. 



163 



ascending towards heaven; affording both fruit and pro- 
tection; incorruptible and immortal/^* 

Fig-trees are very common in Palestine. They are of 
three kinds : — 1 . The untimely fig, or boccore, which puts 
forth at the vernal equinox^ and is usually ripe in June. 
(Cant. ii. 13 ; Jer. xxiv. 2 ; Hosea ix. 10.) 2. The sum- 
mer, or dry fig [kermez or kermouse), which appears about 
the middle of June^ and is ripe in August. 3. The winter 
fig, which germinates in August, but does not ripen until 
about the end of November.f The fruit of these trees 
always precedes the leaves ; hence when our Lord saw one 
of them covered with foliage^ he very naturally expected to 
find fruit thereon. (Mark xi. 13.) All figs, especially the 
boccores, or ea7'Iy figs, when ripe_, drop off spontaneously ; 
or, as it is beautifully expressed by the prophet Nahum 
(ch. iii. 12), ^'fall into the mouth of the eater upon being 
shaken/' To sit under the grateful shadow of the fig-tree 
was an emblem of security and peace. (Micah iv. 4.) 

Olive-trees were, for many Eges, very extensively culti- 
vated in Palestine ; not only in the rich soil of the valleys, 

* *' This tree possesses the remarkable property of resisting any 
weight that may be hung upon it, springing upwards, and bending 
itself with great force in a contrary direction, so as to counterbalance 
the pressure and maintain its position. What a striking and suitable 
emblem of the Divine Redeemer ! We see him bending foi a moment 
beneath the pressure of his suflPerings, bowed down under the weight 
of the world's transgression ; yet, sustained by the power of his God- 
head, he triumphs over all, ascends to his native heaven, and shal^ 
through eternal ages "flourish like the palm-tree, and spread abroad 
like the cedar of Lebanon." — Bishop Home. 

f Pliny says, "Seri fructus per hiemem in arbore manent, et sestate 
inter novas frondes et folici maturescent." " Ficus alterum edit fruc- 
tum," says Columella, " et in hiemem seram differet maturitatem." 
According to the same authority, the fig-tree flourishes luxuriantly in 
the most stony and sterile situations : — *' Ficum frigoribus ne serito, 
loca aprica, calculosa, glaceosa interdum et saxosa amat." It is, how- 
ever, very fruitful. In some of the islands of the Archipelago, it is not 
unusual for a single tree to yield two hundred and eighty pounds of figs. 



164 



VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. 



but even on the sides and summits of its sun-burnt rocks j 
hence the expression — oil out of the flinty rock.'' (Deut. 
xxxii. 13.) The olive-tree flourishes 200 years before it 
begins to decay; and even while it is living, young trees 
spring up around it, which occupy its place when dead.* 
It affords a triple produce in each year. "The olive/^ 
says Paxton, " may be justly considered as one of the most 
valuable gifts of the Creator. The oil which it yields, 
forms an important article of food; it imparts a greater 
degree of pliancy to the limbs, and agility to the whok 
body; it assuages the agonizing pain, and promotes, by 
its sanative influence, the cure of wounds ; it alleviates the 
internal sufferings produced by disease; it illumines at 
once the cottage and the palace ; it cheers, by the splen- 
dour of its combustion, the festive meeting; it serves to 
expel the deadly poison of venomous reptiles; and it 
mingled, perhaps, from the first of time, by the command 
of Heaven, with many of the bloodless oblations which the 
people of God presented at his altar. In these various and 
important uses, we may, perhaps, discover the true reason 
why the dove of Noah was directed by God to select the 
olive-leaf from the countless variety which floated on the 
subsiding waters of the deluge, or bestrewed the slimy tops 
and declivities of Ararat, as the chosen symbol of returning 
peace and favour. And it is a remarkable fact, that all the 
nations of the civilized world have been accustomed to bear 
olive-branches in their hands as emblems of peace and 
amity .'^ t The olive no longer holds the place which it 
once occupied in the estimation of the inhabitants of 
Palestine. The wretched government under which they 
exist has rooted out all the seeds of industry, by rendering 

* Robinson's Travels in Palestine, vol. i. p. 125. 
f Turn pater JEneas pnppi sic fatur ab alta 
PaciferEeque manu ramum pretendit olivse." 

Yirg. JEaXv. lib. viii. ver. 115, 



VEGETABLE PRODITCTIONS. 



165 



the absence of wealth the only security against oppression. 
But in those places where it continues to be cultivated^ it 
affords ample proof to estabhsh the accuracy of the inspired 
wiiter who denominated Palestine • a land of oil-oIive and 
honey,' ''^ 

The Sycamore, in size and figure^ resembles the mul- 
berry-treCj and is very common both in Palestine and 
Eg3rpt. It is a large spreading tree, attaining a consider- 
able height, and its luxuriant branches grow nearly in a 
horizontal position ; on which account it was chosen by 
Zaccheus for the double purpose of elevation and conceal- 
ment. It strikes its large diverging roots deep into the 
earth, and their numberless fibres take fast hold ; on this 
account it is extremely difficult to pluck it up, and transfer 
it to another spot. To this our Lord alludes in Luke xvii. 
6 : "If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might 
say unto this sycamore- tree. Be thou plucked up by the 
root, and be thou planted in the sea, and it should obey 
you." 

The sycamore forms the middle Hnk in the vegetable 
kingdom, between the fig and the mulberry, and partakea 
of the nature of both ; hence its name, avxa^o^os — com- 
pounded of c-vxor, a fig-tree, and^Ao^w, a mulberry. It re- 
sembles the fig-tree in the shape and size of its fruit'; 
which gi'ows neither in clusters, nor at the end of the 
branches, but by a veiy singular law, sticking to the trunk 
of the tree. The sycamore is very productive, yielding its 
fruit seven times a year, from which the Arabs extract an 
oil said to possess an extraordinaiy virtue in curing wounds ; 
for which reason they call it the oil of Zaccheus, attributing 
its virtues to the stay which Zaccheus made upon the tree. 
(Luke XLx. 4.) 

The Pomegranate is a very fine tree, with v\-ide-spreading 



* Palestine, p. 445. 



i66 



VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. 



branches ; its fruit is beautiful to the eye, and pleasant to 
the taste. It is about three or four inches in diameter, the 
size of a large apple, each weighing about a pound, and 
encircled at the upper part with marks resembling a crown. 
At first it exhibits a green appearance; but, in August and 
September appears of a reddish colour, approximating to a 
brown ; the rind is thick and hard, but easily broken. 

Terebinths are larger trees, loaded with luxuriant 
branches and foliage, and green all the year round. 
They live 1000 years ; and when they die, leave m 
their place a scion, which in time spreads in similar luxu- 
riance, and attains the same age ; so that where they once 
appear, they may be said to be eternal. 

The Pistachia is a tree much like the terebinth. It 
bears a rich species of nuts, which hang in clusters, and 
are ripe in October. In appearance they resemble almonds, 
but are of abetter flavour, and are therefore more esteemed 
by the Orientals. 

The Spina Christi, or Thorn of Christ. — This shrub ii 
supposed, and not without reason, to be the plant which 
supplied the crown of thorns with which mockery deck- 
ed the Saviour^s brow before his crucifixion. For this 
purpose it must have been very fit, as its thorns, which 
are an inch in length, are very strong and sharp. It 
is not unlike a willow in growth and flexibility ; and, as 
the leaves greatly resemble those of the ivy, it is not 
improbable that the enemies of Christ chose it, on 
account of its similarity to the plant with which it was 
usual to crown emperors and generals : so that calumnj^, 
insult, and derision, might be meditated in the very act of 
punishment.* 

The Vine was cultivated m Palestine m great per 
fection. A good vineyard consisted of 1000 vines 

* Hasselquist^s Voyages in the Levant, p. 288. 



VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. 



167 



and produced the rent of a thousand silverlings, or shekels 
of silver. (Isa. vii. 23.) The Persian vine-dressers do 
all in their power to make the vine run np the wall, 
and curl over on the other side; which they do by- 
tying stones to the extremity of the tendril. This 
custom elucidates Gen. xlix. 22 : — " Joseph is a fruitful 
hough ; even a fruitful bough by a well, whose branches run 
over the wallJ' 

The vine is frequently made to entwine on trellises 
around a wall; where, in the heat of the day, whole 
families collect themselves, and sit under the shade. 
The grapes of Judsea attained the highest degree of 
excellence, and the wines made from them were cele- 
blated for their fragrant and cordial properties. Those 
of Lebanon, Helbon, and Engedi, were particularly 
excellent. The wine of Lebanon was held in great 
repute, and it still retains its ancient celebrity. It 
is reported by Kauwolf, Le Bruyn, and other tra- 
vellers, to be of the most excellent kind for fla- 
vour and fragrance. A French traveller. La Roque, 
speaking of it, says, "It will be difficult to find any 
other wine more delicious than that which was presented 
to us, and which made us conclude that the reputation 
of the wine of Lebanon, of which the Prophet speaks, 
was well founded.^^ Mr. Buckingham says, that " this, at 
the present day, is a boiled wine made of grapes as large 
as plums; ^' and that the "wine of Helbon is a rich sweet 
wine.^^ Chateaubriand gives the same report of the 
wine furnished by the hills of Engedi ; which, he says, 
has the colour and taste of the wines of Rcusillon.^'' 
(See Cant. i. 14; Hosea xiv. 7.) 

Grapes were also dried into raisins ; and in this shape 
formed a considerable portion of the food of the people. 
(1 Sara. XXV. 18; 2 Sam. xvi. 1.) 
The vintage followed the harvest, about two months 



168 



VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. 



later ; and like it^ was a season of joy and festivity. The 
fruit, when gathered, was first thrown into a large vat, 
or cistern, and there trodden by the feet of men 
(Judg. ix. 27; Isa. Ixiii. 3; Kev. xiv. 18 — 20; xix. 
15); the juice, or "blood of the grape," being received 
into a vessel below. The mass, imperfectly bruised, 
was then submitted to the wine-press, which was probably 
of rude construction, similar to those still to be seen in the 
East. The bruised fruit, taken from the vat, and already 
deprived of the greatest part of its juice, is enclosed be- 
tween mats, on which the heavy end of a beam is brought 
to bear. This beam, which is frequently the trunk of a 
tree nearly in the state in which it was cut from the 
ground, is so balanced, by means of weights, or by cords 
and pulleys, at its smaller end, that the opposite and 
heavier one can be elevated or depressed at pleasure ; 
which, when let down with its entire weight upon the 
mats enclosing the pulp, expresses the whole of the re- 
maining liquor.* 

There was one kind of vine — the Sorek of the Hebrews 
— which was held in high esteem. It was renowned not 
less for the luxuriance of its growth than for the richness 
and delicacy of its fruit. This was chosen by the Prophet 
as a fit image to represent God's ancient Israel, and as a 
type of the church in after ages : — " ilfy well-beloved hath 
a vineyard in a very fruitful hill ; and he planted it with 
(Sorek) the choicest vine" (Isa. v. 2.) And to this 
species Moses refers, in his prophetic benediction addressed 
to Judah : — Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's 
colt unto the choice vine.'' (Gen. xlix. 11.) In some 
parts of the East, it was the custom to turn their cattle 
into the vineyards after the vintage, to browse on the vines, 
some of which, says Chardin, are so large that a man can 



* Mansford'E Gazetteer, p. 307. 



VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. 



169 



hardly compass their trunks with his arms ; so that the ass 
might be tied to the vine^ and browse on its leaves and 
branches, without damaging it. This accounts for the 
prohibition of Moses • — If a man shall cause a vineyard 
to be eaten, and shall put in his beast, and shall feed in an 
other man^s field ; of the best of his own vineyard shall he 
make restitution." (Exod. xxii. 5.) If this were done be- 
fore the vintage, it would prove destructive to the fruit; 
or if after the fruit was gathered, it would still be a serious 
injury, by depriving the owner of the fodder intended for 
his own flocks and herds, and which, perhaps, was abso- 
lutely requisite for their subsistence during the winter. 

The extraordinary size of the grapes of Canaan, is con- 
firmed by the authority of a modern traveller. In tra- 
versing the country about Bethlehem, Doubdan found a 
most delightful valley full of aromatic herbs and rose- 
bushes, and planted with vines of the choicest kind. It 
was actually the Valley of Eshcol, where the spies gathered 
the prodigious bunch of grapes, which was born on a staff 
between two men^s shoulders, and brought to Moses as a 
sample of the produce of the land. Doubdan, it is true, 
saw no such cluster as this, for it was not the time of 
vintage ; he was, however, informed, that even in the pre- 
sent neglected state of the country, clusters are still to be 
found weighing from ten to twelve pounds. The vineyards 
of Canaan produce grapes of different kinds ; some of them 
are red, and some white, but the greater part are black. 
To the juice of the red grape, the sacred writers make 
frequent allusions : — " Wherefore art thou red in thme 
apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the 
wine fat V (Isa. Ixiii. 2.) " In that day sing ye unto her, 
A vineyard of red wine : I the Lord do keep it." (Isa. 
xxvii. 2.) It is, therefore, styled with strict propriety, " the 
blood of the grape ; " — a phrase which seems intended to 
indicate the colour of the juice, as well as its strengthening 



z 



170 



VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. 



and invigorating qualities: — "Thou didst drink the pure 
blood of the ^rape^' (Deut. xxxii. 14) ; that is_, the ex- 
pressed juice of the red grape in a state of nature, the 
"new wine which is found in the duster.'^ (Isa. Ixv. 8.) 
"In preparing their wines/^ says M'Cnllochj "the ancients 
often impissated them (boiled them down) till they became 
of the consistence of honey, or even thicker. These were 
diluted with water previously to their being drunk; and, 
indeed, the habit of mixing wine with water seems to have 
prevailed much more in antiquity than in modern times.'" 
"The yayin of the Hebrews,^^ observes Dr. A. Clarke, 
"the oinos of the Greeks, and the vinum of the ancient 
Romans, meant simply the ^expressed juice of the grape,^ 
sometimes drunk just after it was expressed, while its 
natural sweetness remained, and then termed mustum ; at 
other times, after fermentation, which process rendered it 
fit for keeping, without getting acid or unhealthy, then 
called oinos and vinum. By the ancient Hebrews, I be- 
lieve it was chiefly drunk in its first or simple state ; hence 
it was termed among them peree haggephen, 'the fruit of 
the vine;^ and by our Lord, in the Syriac, his vernacular 
language, ' the young or son of the vine,^ very properly 
translated by the Evangelist, genema tes ampelau, ' the off"- 
spring or produce of the vine.'' In ancient times, when 
only a small portion was wanted for immediate use, the 
juice was pressed by the hand out of a bunch of grapes, 
and immediately drunk. After this manner Pharaoh's 
butler was accustomed to squeeze out new wine into the 
royal cup, as is evident from Gen. xl. 11.'^ In the early 
times of the Eoman Commonwealth, women's drink was 
made from the impissation of the mustum, or unfermented 
juice of the grape. With this the women were allowed to 
dilute their aqueous liquors, when the laws denied them, 
under a severe penalt}'', the use of fermented wines. 

" Modern Turks,'' says Sir Edward Barry, " carry this 



VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. 



171 



impissated wine along with them on long journeys." 
Capt. Charles Stuart, of the Madras army, who spent 
fourteen years in Hindoostan, and who has travelled 
extensively throughout the Eastern world, says, that in 
India, Persia, and Palestine, and all over the East, the 
unfermented juice of the grape, and sap of the palm- 
tree, are common and delightful beverages. The enter- 
prising Landers, also, inform us, that the native Afi'icans 
drink the unfermented sap of the palm-tree; and Chardin, 
as cited by Professor Paxton, states that a liquor called 
Koubnar (Rab-al-nar), and which is made of the im- 
pissated juice of the pomegranate, or the juice of grapes 
preserved with sugar, is drunk in considerable quan- 
tities in the East, particularly in Persia. Liquors of 
this description are very common there. Sherbet, 
which is a syrup, chiefly that of lemons, mixed with 
water, is used by persons of all ranks. It is a delicious 
and cooling beverage, admirably suited to the inhabi- 
tants of those sultry climes ; the vile medicated com- 
pounds manufactured in this country, and sold under 
the name of wines, would prove fatal under the burning 
skies of Syria and Persia. 

The Scriptures contain many beautiful allusions to 
the pure ' fruit of the vine.-' The tread ers shall tread 
out no wine fyaijinj in their presses.''^ (Isaiah xvi. 10.) 
"I have caused wine fyayinj to fail from the wine- 
presses: none shall tread with shouting." (Jer. 
xlviii. 33.) '^'The field is wasted, the land mourneth; 
for the corn is wasted, the new wine (tiroshj is dried 
up, the oil languisheth." (Joel i. 10.) " The floors 
shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with 
wine^^ — tii'osh. (Joel ii. 24.) " Jehovah has sworn by 
his right hand and by his powerful arm, I will no more 

* Solomon seems to describe some such beverage as this in Cant. yiii. 
2: — "1 would cause thee to drink of spiced wine, of the juice of my 
pomegranate." 



172 



VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. 



give thy com for food to thine enemies : nor shall the 
sons of the stranger drink thy must^ for which 
thou hast laboured ; but they that reap the harvest 
shall eat it, and praise Jehovah ; and they that gather 
the vintage shall drink it in my sacred courts/^ (Isaiah 
Ixii. 8, 9, LowtVs Translation. See also Gen. xlix. 11; 
Dent, xxxii. 14; Prov. iii. 10; Hoseaii. 21_, 22; Geo, 
xxvii. 28; Judges ix. 13; 2 Kings xviii. 31^ 32 j 
Micah vi. 15.) 

Now in all these passages we are to understand by 
the term ^ wine ^ either the vine-tree itself, or the fruit 
of the tree, or the ' blood of the grape ' — the juice in 
the cluster, or the juice when newly expressed, prior to 
fermentation. That some of the wines of the ancient 
Hebrews were fermented is undeniable ; and it is pro- 
bable that they, as well as the Greeks, were no strangers 
to perfumed and medicated wines — wines made stronger 
and more inebriating by the addition of powerful opiates 
and drugs ; but that these were the wines in common 
use among them is obviously untrue, nor does the Word 
of God ever speak of intoxicating wines in terms of 
approbation. The Rev. Dr. Duff, in his journey to 
India, by way of Alexandria, passed through the wine 
districts of France, concerning which he makes the 
following judicious observations : " In these countries, 
mantled with vineyards, we cannot help learning the 
true intent and use of the vine in the scheme of Provi- 
dence. In our land, wine has become so exclusively a 
mere luxury, or what is worse, by a species of manu- 
facture, an intoxicating beverage, that many have 
wondered how the Bible speaks of wine in conjunction 
with corn and other such staple supports of animal life. 
Now in passing through the region of vineyards in the east 
of Prance, one must at once perceive that the vine greatly 
flourishes on slopes and heights, where the soil is too poor 



VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. 



173 



and gravelly to maintain either corn for food or pasturage 
for cattle. But what is the providential design in render- 
ing this soil, favoured by a genial atmosphere, so produc- 
tive of the vine, if the fruit become solely, either an article 
of luxury f or an instrument of vice ? The answer is, that 
Providence had no such design. Look at the peasant at 
his meals in the vine-bearing districts ! Instead of milky 
he has a basin of pure unadulterated ' blood of the grape/ 
In this its native original state, it is a plain, simple, and 
wholesome liquid, which at every repast becomes to the 
husbandman what milk is to the shepherd ; not a luxury, 
but a necessary; not an intoxicating, but a nutritive beve- 
rage. Hence to the vine-dressing peasant of Auxerre, for 
example, an abundant vintage, as connected with his own 
immediate sustenance, is as important as an overflowing 
dairy to the pastoral peasant of Ayrshire. And hence, by 
such a view of the subject, are the language and sense of 
Scripture vindicated from the very appearance of favouring 
what is merely luxurious or positively noxious, when it so 
constantly magnifies a well-replenished wine-press, in a 
rocky mountainous country like that of Palestine, as one of 
the richest bounties of Provideuce."* 

In the vales near Jordan, in the neighbourhood of 
Jericho, not far from the Dead Sea, is found, growing in 
great abundance, the vine of Sodom, which produces 
grapes as bitter as gall, and wine as deadly as the poison 
of an asp. Moses alludes to this deleterious fruit in the 
following passage: — "For their vine is of the vine of 
Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah; their grapes are 
grapes of gall> their clusters are bitter ; their wine is the 
poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps.'' (Deut. 
xxxii. 32, 33.) It is probably the wild vine, a species of 
gourd, which produces the coloquintida, a fruit so exces- 

Missionary Record, April, *0. 



174 



VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. 



sively bitter that it cannot be eaten ; and; when given in 
medicine,, proves a purgative so powerful as to be frequently 
followed by excoriation of the vessels and hemorrhage. It 
was of this wild vine the sons of the prophets ate ; and its 
instantaneous effect, together mth their knowledge of its 
deadly power, easily accounts for their alarm : — " And it 
came to pass as they were eating (of the pottage which 
had been mixed with the gourd), " that they cried out, and 
said, thou man of God, there is death in the pot; and 
they could not eat.'^ (2 Kings iv. 39, 40.) Another species 
of wild vine, but of a milder character, which grows in 
Palestine, near the highways and hedges, is the Labrusca. 
It bears a very small grape, which when ripe becomes 
black ; but often it does not ripen at all. These are, pro- 
bably, the wild grapes to which the Prophet compares the 
inhabitants of Jerusalem and the men of Judah : — " And 
he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought 
forth wild grapes. (Isa. v. 2.)* They are also extremely 
som', and cannot be eaten without setting the teeth on edge : 
— In those days they shall say no more. The fathers have 
eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on 
edge. Every one that eateth the sour grape, his teeth 
shall be set on edge." (Jer. xxxi. 29, 30.) 

The Citron is a large and beautiful tree, always green, 
perfuming the air with its exquisite odour, and spreading 
a refreshing shade over the panting inhabitant of the torrid 

* Hasselquist is of opinion that the ■n'ild. grapes mentioned by Isaiah, 
must be the hoary night-shade {solarium incanum), because it is com- 
mon in Egypt, Palestine, and Syria. The Arabs call it wolf-grapes, as 
it bears some resemblance to a vine. The sacred writer could not haye 
found a weed more opposite to the vine than this, or more suitable to the 
purpose he had in view, for it is extremely pernicious to that plant, and 
:s rooted up whenever it appears. " Wherefore," exclaims the holy seer, 
" when I looked that my vineyard should bring forth grapes, brought it 
forth poisonous nightshade " See Dr. Russell's Palestine, p. 446; 
Paxton's Illustrations, vol. i. p. 279, vol. ii. p. 331. 



VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. 



175 



regions. Well then might the spouse exclaim^ — '^As the 
citron-tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved 
among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great 
delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste." (Cant. ii. 3.) 
A more beautiful object can hardly be conceived, than a 
large and spreading citron, loaded with gold-coloured 
apples, and clothed with leaves of the richest green. 
Maundrell preferred the orange-garden, or citron-grove, at 
Beyrout, the palace of the emir Faccardine, to everything 
he had met with in Syria. It was a large quadrangular 
plot of ground, divided into sixteen smaller squares ; and 
the walks were so shaded with orange-trees, of a large 
spreading size, and so richly adorned with fruit, that he 
thought nothing could be more perfect in its kind, or, had 
it been duly cultivated, could have been more delightful. 

The Gourd produces leaves and branches resembling 
those of a cucumber. It grows very high, and throws out 
many expanding branches and large leaves. In a short 
time it reaches a considerable height, eight or nine feet, 
and is remarkably rapid in Vv'ithering ; its stem is thick, 
channeled, knotty, hollow, branchy at the top, of a sea- 
green color ; its leaves are large, cut into seven or more 
divisions, pointed and edged, of a bright blackish shining 
green. Its flowers are ranged on the stem like a thyrsus ; ' 
they are of a deep red, and stand three together. Its fruit 
is shaped like an orange, of a light white substance when 
the rind is taken off, and so bitter, that it has been called, 
he gall of the earth. It is not eatable ; but is a very fit 
vessel for flagons^ being light, capacious, and smooth, 
frequently a foot and a half in diameter.* 

Of th ;'Floivers wnich grew in Judsea, the rose and 
the Mhj are the most celebrated. Of the former, the 
pride of the East, little requires to be said. It was 

* See Paxton's Illustrations, vol. i. p. 244; and Taylor's edition of 
Calmet, vols. ii. and iv. 



176 



VEGETABLE PRODUCTIONS. 



celebrated for tlie richness of its fragrance, and the 
beauty of its flowers ; and was regarded as the sovereign 
of the garden. Hafez, the Persian poet, says, "When 
the rose comes into the garden, the violet prostrates 
itself before it with its face to the ground/^* Hence it 
was selected by Solomon as a fit emblem to represent 
the matchless beauties and glories of the Kedeemer: — 
"I am the rose of Sharon/^ (Cant. ii. 1.) The plain 
of Sharon was, and still is, in the spring, profusely 
adorned with this beautiful flower. But more frequent 
allusion is made to the lily; which appears to have 
been an ornament, not to the gardens only, but to the 
country at large. Solomon speaks of ^Hhe lily among 
thorns'' (Cant. ii. 2) ; and our Saviour (Matt. vi. 28—30) 
says, " Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they 
toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, that 
even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of 
these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, 
which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall 
he not much more clothe you, ye of little faith ? '' 

By this it appears, that the lily was not only an 
elegant, but a conspicuous and common flower, growing 
up amongst the wild grass, which, when dry, was cut 
down for fuel. Mr. Salt, in his Yoyage to Abyssinia, 
says, "At a few miles from Adowa, we discovered a new 
and beautiful species of Amaryllis, which bore from ten 
to twelve spikes of bloom on each stem, as large as 

* The Odes of Anacreon, and the ardent praises poured forth by 
Horace, prove how highly the rose was esteemed among the ancient 
Greeks: — 

" Quis multa gracilis te puer in rosa 
Perfusus liquidis urguet odoribus." 

Book i. Car. 5. 

"Hue vina et unguenta, et nimium breves 
Flores amsenje ferre jube rosse." 

Book ii. Car. 3. 



ZOOLOGY. 



177 



those of the Belladonna^ springing from one common 
receptacle. The general colour of the corolla was 
white, and every petal was marked with a single streak 
of bright purple down the middle. The flower was 
sweet-scented; and its smell, though much more power,, 
ful, resembled that of the lily of the valley. This 
superb plant excited the admiration of the whole party; 
and it brought immediately to my recollection the 
beautiful comparison used by our Saviour, — ''I say 
unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not 
arrayed like one of these." Some of the ornaments of 
the Temple were taken from the lily (1 Kings vii. 19, 
22, 26 ; 2 Chron. iv. 5) ; and the city Shushan, in 
Persia, and the province Susiana, both derived their 
name from the abundance of the same flower.* At the 
bottom of each leaf of this flower, is a watery humour, 
which gradually distils drops of clear scented water. 
" His lips are like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh''* 
(Cant. V. 13.) 

ZOOLOGY. 

The land of Canaan was essentially a pastoral coun- 
try ; a land for flocks and herds, and every way fitted 
for the residence of men whose trade, like that of the 
patriarchs of old, was in cattle. " The pastures were 
clothed with flocks ; the valleys also were covered with 
corn." (Ps. Ixv. 13.) The management and rearing 
of cattle formed the chief occupation of the inhabitants, 
in which they were greatly aided by the abundance of 
water, and the variety and richness of the pasturage. 
The most celebrated pasture-grounds were those on 
each side the river Jordan, those of Sharon, the plains 

* Mansford's Scrip. Gaz. p. 300. 



178 



ZOOLOGY. 



of Lydda, Jamnia^ and many others of less note. The 
breed of CEtttle reared on the hills of Bash an, and on 
Mount Carmel, were proverbial for their size, strength^ 
and fatness. Hence the frequent allusions in Scripture 
to the ''^fat bulls of Bashan.^^ The cattle of the Israel- 
ites comprised almost every sort of animal that afforded 
either food or clothing, or was applicable to the useful 
purposes of life ; such as sheep, oxen, goats, camels, and 
asses. 

Horses were rarely used in the East in the early ages 
The patriarchs had none ; nor had the Israelites any before 
the time of Solomon. The earliest mention of the horse, 
perhaps, is that made by Job, who gives a graphic descrip- 
tion of the war-horse, (ch. xxxix. 19.) We find this animal 
used by the Egyptians, the Canaanites, and the Philistines, 
in their armies ; but the Israelites were forbidden the use 
of horses. (Deut. xvii. 16. ) The reasons for this prohi- 
bition are supposed to have been — 1. To cut off all com- 
merce with Egypt, lest the people should be tempted to re- 
turn to idolatry; 2. To prevent them from placing their 
reliance on cavalry, instead of confiding in the promised 
aid of Jehovah ; 3. To discourage the inhuman art and 
practice of war ; 4. To save the land from an unnecessary 
burden ; its entire surface, both arable and pasture, being 
required for the food of man, to support a numerous 
population. The importance of this last consideration will 
appear, when it is stated, that the ground required to fur- 
nish subsistence for one horse, will, when sown with wheat, 
maintain ten human beings ; and with a mixed crop of 
wheat and potatoes, will supply ample sustenance for 
double that number. Solomon, however, grossly violated 
this rule ; he had 40,000 stalls of horses, which he had 
purchased from Egypt. (1 Kings iv. 26 ; 2 Chron. ix. 
25 — 28.) But kings are a privileged class, and can do no 
wrong. 



ZOOLOGY. 



179 



The horses of the East, especially the beautiful breed of 
Arabia, are proverbial for their sagacity and attachment to 
their owners. Living with the family, fed by the women^ 
fondled by the children, and addressed by their masters in 
the most familiar and endearing language, with them, in- 
stinct, or rather mute intelligence, seems carried to the 
highest pitch. Lamartine gives a characteristic anecdote 
of one of these animals, which was related to him by the 
son of the scheik of Jericho : — 

"An Arab and his tribe had attacked in the desert the 
caravan of Damascus ; the victory was complete, and the 
Arabs were already occupied in loading tbeir rich booty^ 
when the troops of the pacha of Acre, coming to meet this 
caravan, fell suddenly upon the victorious Arabs, slew a 
great number of them, made the remainder prisoners, and, 
having tied them with cords, conducted them to Acre to 
present them before the pacha. Abou-el-Marsch, the Arab 
of whom he spoke, had received a ball in his arm during the 
combat; as his wound was not mortal, the Turks had 
fastened him on a camel, and having obtained possession of 
his borse, led off both horse and horseman. The evening 
before the day on which they were to enter Acre, they 
encamped with their prisoners in the mountains of Saphad ; 
the wounded Arab had his legs bound together by a leathern 
%hong, and was stretched near the tents where the Turks 
were sleeping. During the night, kept awake by the pain 
of his wound, he heard his horse neigh amongst the other 
horses fastened around the tents, according to Oriental 
usage. He recognised his neigh, and, unable to resist the 
desire of speaking once more to the companion of his life, 
he dragged himself with difficulty along the ground, by the 
assistance of his hands and knees, and came up to his 
courser. ' Poor friend,' said he to it, ' what wilt thou do 
amongst the Turks? Thou wilt be immured under the 
arches of a khan, with the horses of an aga or of a pacha ; 



180 



ZOOLOGY. 



the women and the children will no longer bring thee tht 
camePs milk, or the barley, or the doura in the hollow of 
their hands ; thou wilt no longer run free in the desert, as 
the wind of Egypt ; thou wilt no more divide the waters of 
the Jordan with thy breast, and cool thy skin as white as 
their foam ; therefore, if I remain a slave, remain thou 
free ! — go, return to the tent, which thou knowest ; say to 
my wife that Abou-el-Marsch will return no more, and put 
thy head under the curtains of the tent to lick the hands 
of my little children/ While speaking thus, Abou-el- 
Marsch had gnawed through with his teeth the cord of 
goat -hair which fetters Arab horses, and the animal was 
free ; but seeing its master wounded and bound at its feet, 
the faithful and sagacious steed understood by instinct 
what no language could explain to him. He stooped his 
head, smelt his master, and, seizing him with his teeth by 
the leathern thong which he had about his body, went off 
in a gallop and bore him to his tent. On arriving, and 
placing his master on the sand, at the feet of his wife and 
children, the horse expired from fatigue. All the tribe 
wept for him, the poets have celebrated him, and his name 
is constantly in the mouths of the Arabs of J ericho.^^* 

The Arab who traverses the desert, from the perpetual 
state of warfare in which he hves, and the rapid movements 
he is often compelled to make, is chiefly concerned about 
the swiftness of his horse ; but the Egyptian, occupying a 
fixed and quiet habitation, enervated by luxury, and fond 
of splendid shows and processions, adorns his courser with 
magnificent trappings, and teaches him to move with a 
slow and pompous step. The horses of Egypt have long 
been celebrated for their height, their plumpness, and the 
stateliness of their pace. Corpulency is regarded as a 
leading character of beauty in several regions of Africa, 
and other Eastern countries; and even a lady, to be 

* Lamartine's Travels, p. 89. 



ZOOLOG'S. 



181 



counted beautiful, must be fat.-* Upon this principle 
is founded^Jhe compliment of Solonaou, which to an 
Enghsh taste may seem rather coarse ; " I have compared 
thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh's 
chariots." (Cant. i. 9.) It is remarkable that the 
elegant Theocritus, in his Epithalamium, celebrates the 
portly size and plumpness of Helen, the most celebrated 
beauty of ancient times, and uses exactly the same 
image as Solomon, comparing her to the horses in the 
chariots of Thessalv.f 





THE ORIENTAL ASS. 

THE ORIENTAL ASS was not the despised and 
wretched animal now found in England ; where neo-lect 
and hard usage have reduced him to the lowest grade in 
which his species can be preserved ; and where, in fact, 

* Niebuhr's Travels. 

t Paxton, vol. i. p. 425. See also Home's Introdaction, vol. iii. 
p. 69. Harris's Dictionary of Biblical Natural History. 



183 



ZOOLOGY. 



he is unknown in Ms genuine form and character. In 
his natural state, he is of a larger make, fleet and intract- 
able ; but capable of being domesticated, and, by proper 
trainage, of becoming patient and docile, sleek and 
handsome in appearance, sensible of good treatment, 
obedient to the bridle, easy and safe for travelling, and 
is fitted to support great fatigue with little food, and 
that of the coarsest kind. This last quality was, 
indeed, one of his most valuable ones, in a country 
which was required to furnish subsistence to a large 
population, and which, consequently, had but little soil 
to spare for the subsistence of useless animals. 

The ass was a beast for the saddle, as well as for 
burdens ; and was so used even by peisons of superior 
rank. (Judges x. 4 ; xii. 14.) 

White asses were held in particular estimation, and 
were supposed to confer dignity on the rider. (Judges 
V. 10.) The wild ass is often alluded to in Scripture, 
for his speed and his wild indomitable character. (Job 
X ; xxiv. 5 ; xxxix. 5 — 8 ; Isa. xxxii. 14 ; J er. ii. 
34; xiv. 6; Hosea viii. 9.) This animal, answering 
precisely to the same character, still inhabits the desert 
and mountainous parts of Persia.* 

CAMELS were anciently, as at the present day, in 
general use throughout the East, and were employed 
for riding, especially on long journeys ; but chiefly foi 
the transport of heavy articles, which were conveyed by 
them several hundred miles across burning deserts ; as, 
for instance, from Sabea, or the Euphrates, to Egypt, 
Judaea, and Phoenicia, t Eor this service, the camel, 

* See Essays on Sacred Zoology, Christ. Mag. vol. vi. 

f Professor Paxton rightly conjectures, that the name of this interest- 
ing animal is derived from the Hebrew verb ^f^^, (gamal,) to recom 
pense, to revenge j because, although remarkably gentle and docile wher) 



ZOOLOGY. 



183 




THE CAMEL. 

from his strength, and his powers of enduring heat, 
drought, abstinence, and fatigue, was peculiarly fitted, 
and has been aptly termed " the ship of the desert.^' 

The labour and fatigue, which he is capable of 
enduring on the poorest and scantiest means of sub- 
sistence, almost exceed belief. He will travel four or 
five days without water, whilst half a gallon of beans 
and barley, or a few balls made of the flour, will sustain 
him for a whole day. Before drinking, he disturbs the 
water with his feet ; first of all he thrusts his head 
a great way above his nostrils into the water, and then 
after the manner of pigeons, makes several successive 
draughts.''' 

Kindly treated there is no animal more mindful of an injury, or that 
seizes with greater avidity the proper opportunity of revenge. " A 
camel's anger " is, with the Arabians, a convertible proverb for a durable 
and irreconcilable enmity. 

* Dr. Shaw's Travels. 



184 



ZOOLOGY. 



Nature has ftirnislied the camel with parts anA 
qualities adapted to the office he is employed to dis- 
charge. The driest thistle or the barest thorn, is all 
the food this useful quadruped requires ; and even these, 
to save time, he eats while advancing on his journey, 
without stopping, or occasioning a moment's delay. 
As it is his lot to cross immense deserts, where no 
water is found, and countries not even moistened with 
the dew of heaven, he is endued with the power to lay 
in a store at one watering-place, from which he supplies 
himself for thirty days or more. To contain this enor- 
mous quantity of fluid, nature has formed large cisterns 
within him, from which, once filled, he draws at plea- 
sure the quantity he wants, and pours it into his 
stomacli with the same effect as if he then drew it from 
a spring ; and with this he travels patiently and 
vigorously all day long; carrying a prodigious load, 
through countries infected with poisonous winds, and 
glowing with parching and never-cooling sands.* 

' In travelling over the deserts of Arabia, the camel 
will carry a burden of at least seven quintals (nearly a 
quarter of a ton) ; and will journey with this load, 
sometimes ten, sometimes fifteen hours, at the rate of 
two miles and a-half an hour. Mounted on this mild 
and persevering animal, the traveller pursues his jour« 
ney over the sandy deserts of the East with speed and 
safety. For his convenience, a sort of round basket is 
slung on each side, with a cover, which holds all his 
necessaries, and between which he is seated, on the 
back of the animal. Sometimes two long chairs, like 
cradles, are slung one on each side, having an awning 
or covering over them, to shelter him from the scorch- 
ing rays of the sun ; in these he sits, or, stretched at his 
ease, resigns himself to sleep, without interrupting his 

* Bruce's Travels, vol. iv. p. 596. 



ZOOLOGY. 



185 



journey. These covered baskets^ or chairs^ are the 
cameFs furniture, in which Eachel put the images she 
had stolen from her father. (Gen. xxxi. 34.) 

That species of camel called the dromedary, differs 
from the common camel, in being of a finer and 
rounder shape, and in having upon its back a smaller 
protuberance. It is chiefly remarkable for its amazing 
swiftness ; the Arabs say, it will run over as much 
ground in one day, as one of their best horses in eight 
or ten. If this be true, the Prophet does not without 
reason call it "the swift dromedary;^' (Jer. ii. 23;) and 
the messengers of Esther acted wisely in choosing this 
animal to carry their important despatches to the 
distant provinces of the empire. (Esther viii. 10.) 
The camel is of great importance in the East, not only 
as a beast of burden, but also as a means of subsistence 
in the inhospitable desert; its milk and its flesh 
supply the traveller with food ; and its hair is woven 
into stuffs for his clothing.* 

Accordingly, these animals were of great value, and 
some idea of the immense wealth of Job may be formed 
from the number of them which he possessed ; namely, 
3000 before his troubles, and 6000 afterwards, besides 
a large number of other cattle. The Reubenites, the 
Gadites, and the Manassites took 50,000 camels from 
the Arabians. (1 Chron. v. 21.) These animals were 
also used in war.f 

In Deut. xiv., a distinction is made between clean 
and unclean animals. From this we gather the follow- 
ing list : — The o<r, the sheep, the goat, the hart, the 
roebuck, or antelope, the fallow-deer, probably the 
buffalo, though some suppose it to be the wild-beeve 
the wild-goat, or goat-deer remarkable for its timidity 

* Paxton's Illustrations, toI. i. p. 407, et seq. 
f Mansford's Scripture Gazetteer, pp. 300, 301. 

2 B 



186 



ORNITHOLOGY. 



and shyness ; the pigarg — concerning the characteristics 
of which naturalists are not agreed. The Hebrew- 
name seems to denote an animal whose hinder parts 
are white; and such, says Dr. Shaw, is the lidmee, 
which is shaped exactly like the antelope, but twice its 
size, and has horns two feet long. The [wild ox ; by 
some supposed to be the buffalo; by^others, a large stag ; 
but Dr. Harris is of opinion that it is the white goat of 
the desert. The chamois, according to Dr. Shaw, the 
giraffe^ or cameleopardj but ^ more probably "an animal 
of the goat kind, as its name [denotes browsing or 
cropping the shoots of trees or bushes^ The camelj the 
hare, the coneg, or saphan of the ancient Hebrew, 
bearing some resemblance to the hedge-hog. The 
mouse, or marmot, which is the webro of the Arabians ; 
the daman-Israel of Shaw ; the ashkoJco of Bruce, and 
the clipdass of the Dutch. 

The Scriptures contain familiar] references to the 
lion, the wolf, the fox, the leopard, the hart, the jackal, 
and the wild boar, which lead one to suppose that they 
were native animals. The wilder animals, however, 
have mostly disappeared. Hasselquist, a pupil of Lin- 
naeus, who visited Palestine in 1750, mentions, as the 
only animals he saw, the porcupine, the jackal, the 
fox, the rock-goat, and the fallow-deer. Captain 
Mangles describes an animal of the goat species as 
large as the ass, with long knotty upright horns ; some 
bearded, and their colour resembling that of the 
gazelle. 

ORNITHOLOGY. 

In the writings of Moses, the winged tribes of Pales- 
tine are divided into three classes, denoting their 
respective elements : — 



ORNITHOLOGY. 



187 



1. — Birds of 


THE Air. 


English Translation. 


Probable Species. 


XT' 1 „ 

Ji/agle. 


xLagie. 


Ossifrage. 


V uiiui e. 


spray. 


Black Eagle. 


Vulture. 


Hawk. 


Kite. 


Kite. 


Kaven. 


Raven. 


2. — Land Birds. 


Owl. 


Ostrich. 


Night Hawk. 


Night Owl. 


Cuckoo. 


Saf-saf. 


Hawk. 


Ancient Ibis. 


3. — Water Birds. 


Little Owl. 


Sea Gull. 


Cormorant. 


Cormorant. 


Great Owl. 


Ibis Ardea. 


Swan. 


Wild Goose. 


Pelican. 


Pelican. 


Gier Eagle 


Alcyone. 


Stork. 


Stork. 


Heron 


Long Neck, 


Lapwing 


Hoopoe. 



Hasselquist enumerates the following from his own 
observation: the vulture — two species; one seen near 
Jerusalem, the other near Cana in Galilee ; the falcon, 
( falco gentilis and falco tinnunculus,) near Nazareth ; 
the jackdaw, in great numbers in the oak-woods near 
Galilee ; the green woodspite, (picus viridis,) in the 
same neighbourhood; the bee-catcher, (merops api- 
aster,) in the groves and plains between Acra and 
Nazareth ; the nightingale, among the willows of 
Jordan, and the olive-trees of Judea ; the field-lark, 
' everywhere ;' the goldfinch, in the gardens near 
Nazareth; the red partridge, (tetrao rufus,) and two 
other species — the quail, (tetrao cotmmix,) and the 



188 



ORNITHOLOGY. 



quail of the Israelites, (tetrao Israelitarum ;) the tur- 
tle-dove, and the ring-dove. Game is abundant ; par- 
tridges, in particular, being found in large coveys, so 
fat and heavy, that they may easily be knocked down 
with a stick.* Wild geese, ducks, widgeon, snipe, and 
water-fowl of every description, abound in some p^rts of 
the country. 




THE EAGLE. 

THE EAGLE is the strongest, the fiercest, and the 
most rapacious of the feathered race. He dwells alone in 
the desert, and on the summits of the highest mountains, 
and suffers no bird to come with impunity within the 
range of his flight. His eye is dark and piercing, his 
beak and talons are hooked and formidable, and his cry 
spreads terror and dismay throughout the feathered 
Ti'avels of Ali Bey, vol. ii, p. 210. 



ORNITHOLOGY. 



189 



tribes. His figure answers to his nature; inde- 
pendently of his arms, he has a robust and compact 
body, and very powerful limbs and wings; his bones 
are hard, his flesh is firm, his feathers are coarse, his 
attitude is fierce and erect, his motions are lively, and 
his flight is extremely rapid. Such is the Golden 
Eagle, as described by accurate observers. To this 
noble bird the prophet Ezekiel evidently refers, in hi^ 
parable to the house of Israel : — ^^A great eagle with 
great wings, long-winged, full of feathers, which had 
divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the 
highest branch of the cedar.^' (Ezek. xvii. 3.) In this 
parable a strict regard to physical truth is discovered ; 
the eagle is known to have a predilection for cedars, 
which are the loftiest trees in the forest, and therefore, 
more suited to his daring temper than any other. La 
Roque found a number of large eagles^ feathers scattered 
on the ground, beneath the lofty cedars which still 
crown the summits of Lebanon, on the highest branches 
of which that fierce destroyer occasionally perches. 

The eagle has very large and powerful wings ; and 
on these he darts with amazing swiftness and impetu- 
osity through the vast expanse of heaven, especially 
when in pursuit of his prey ; he rushes, says Apuleius, 
upon the devoted victim, like a flash of lightning. The 
flight of this bird is as sublime, as it is rapid and im- 
petuous. None of the feathered race soar so high. In 
his daring excursions, he is said to leave the clouds of 
heaven, and the regions of thunder and lightning and 
tempest, far beneath his feet, and to approach the very 
limits of sether.* The Sacred Writings abound in re- 
ferences to the high-soaring eagle, and to the rapidity 
and subhmity of his flight. (See Deut. xxviii. 49. 
2 Sam. i. 23. Jer. iv. 13; xlviii. 40. Lam. iv. 19. 
* Apuleius, as quoted by Bocliai't. 



190 



ORNITHOLOGY 



Job ix. 26. Prov. xxx, 19. Obad. ver. 4. Jer. xlix. 16. 
Job xxxix. 27—80.) 

The piercing sight of the eagle is recorded by the 
naturalists, and celebrated by the poets of every age. 
" So keen is the sight of the eagle/' says Isidore, 
"that when floating with immoveable wing above the 
deeps of the sea, far beyond the reach of the human 
eye, he can discern a little fish swimming below.'' 
Damir, a renoAvned Arabian writer, quoted by Bochart, 
avers, that the eagle can discover a carcase at the 
distance of 400 parasangs. The eagle sheds his 
feathers early in the spring; after the moulting season 
is over, he appears with renovated plumage, beauty, 
and vigour. There is an allusion to this annual restora- 
tion in the 103rd Psalm . — " Who satisfieth thy mouth 
with good things, so that thy youth (thy strength and 
vigour) is renewed like the eagle's ; " and also in Isa. 
xl. 31 : — " They that wait upon the Lord shall renew 
their strength, they shall mount up with wings as 
eagles," &c. The tender affection which the female 
cherishes for her young, is referred to by Moses, as an 
emblem of the paternal love and solicitude of Jehovah 
towards his children, and as a type of his gracious deal- 
ings with them : — " As an eagle stirreth up her nest, 
fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, 
taketh them, beareth them on her wings ; so the Lord 
alone did lead them, and there was no strange god with 
them." (Deut. xxxii. 11.) As soon as the young eaglets 
are strong enough to fly, the parent eagle " stirreth up 
the nest," rouses them from their sluggishness, pro- 
vokes them to activity, and invites them to try their 
strength, by fluttering about the nest and ventur- 
ing in the air. If they appear timid and irresolute, 
the watchful mother "spreadeth abroad her wings, 
taketh them, beareth them on her wings," and teaches 



ORNITHOLOGY. 



191 



them to fly, " Ye have seen/' said Jehovah to Israel, 
" what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you 
on eagles' wings and brought you unto myself. (Exod. 
xix. 4.)* 




THE OSTEICH. 

THE OSTRICH is remarkable for its size and swift- 
ness, and is found in the deserts of Syria and Arabia. 
Its height is seven or eight feet, and in swiftness it sur- 
passes every other animal. The egg of the ostrich 
weighs from three to four pounds, and in some parts 
of the east is hatched by the rays of the sun alone. 

In the 39th chapter of the book of Job, the promi- 
nent characteristics of this bird are delineated with all 
the truthfulness of a natural history. Dr. Shaw states 
that the ostrich lays from thirty to fifty eggs, which 

* Paxton, Tol. ii. p. 3, et seq. 



192 



ORNITHOLOGY. 



are deposited in the sand. The first egg is placed in 
the centre, and the others ranged in circles round it at 
convenient distances. She "leaveth her eggs in the 
earth, and warmeth them in the dust (or sand), and 
forgetteth that the foot (of the traveller) may crush 
them, or that the wild beast may break them.'^ (Job 
xxxix. 14, 15.) The ostrich seems to have less affection 
for her young than most other animals, and frequently 
abandons them as soon as they are hatched. Dr. 
Shaw observes, " Upon the most distant noise, or 
trivial occasion, she forsakes her eggs or her young 
ones, to which, perhaps, she never returns ; or, if she 
does, it rnay be too late, either to restore life to the 
one, or to preserve the lives of the other .^^ '^She is 
hardened against her young ones, as though they were 
not her^s; her labour (in hatching and attending them 
so far) is in vain without fear,'' without any concern or 
apprehension as to what may befall them afterwards 
(Job xxxix. 16. Lam. iv. 3.) This bird evinces a lower 
degree of instinct than most others. This is particu- 
larly manifest in the choice of her food; or rather in 
the entire absence of discrimination and choice. She 
swallows greedily and recklessly whatever comes in her 
way, often what is detrimental and pernicious, as pieces 
of rags, leather, wood, stone, or iron. It seems as if 
her optic, as well as her olfactory organs, were less 
adequate and conducive to her preservation and 
safety, than in other creatures ; because God hath 
deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he imparted to 
her understanding.^' (Job xxxix. 17.) The ostrich is 
extremely vigilant and shy. On the first alarm, she 
betakes herself to flight ; and, with stately motion, 
and expanded quivering wing," traverses the desert 
with such extraordinary velocity, that the Arab is 
never able to overtake her, even when mounted on 



ORNITHOLOGY. 



19 



his fleetest steed. * Nothing can be more beautiful 
than the flight of this majestic bird. The wings, by 
their continual though unwearied vibrations, serve her 
at once for sails and oars; whilst her feet, which ma- 
terially aid the rapidity of her flight, scarcely touch the 
ground. " She sets off",^^ says one, " at a hand-gallop ; 
but after being excited a little, she expands her wings, 
as if to catch the wind, and abandons herself to a speed 
so great, that she seems not to touch the ground.^' " I 
am persuaded," continues the same writer, she would 
leave far behind the swiftest English courser.'^ " What 
time she lifteth up herself on high, she scorneth the 
horse and his rider.'^ (Job xxxix. 18.) 




THE STORK. 

THE STORK has been justly celebrated for her benign 

Shaw's Travels. 

2 c 



194 



ORNITHOLOGY. 



and amiable disposition^ and the affection she discovers 
in feeding her parents during the time of incubation, 
or when they have become old, and unable to provide 
for themselves.* She chooses the highest tree of the 
forest for her dwelling ; always giving a preference to 
the fir-tree. "As for the stork, the fir-trees are her 
house." (Psalm civ. 17.) The stork is a migratory 
bird ; and discerns, with unerring intelligence, both the 
time of its removal and the place of its destination. 
"Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed 
times ; and the turtle, and the crane, and the swallow 
observe the time of their coming.''^ (Jer. viii. 7.) This 
bird is also distinguished for its social or congregating 
habits. They collect in immense numbers, and darken 
the air with their wide extended squadrons, as they wing 
their flight to other climes. 

We learn from Doubdan, that the fields between 
Cana and Nazareth are covered with numerous flocks 
of them, each flock containing, according to his 
computation, more than 1000. In some parts, the 
ground is entirely whitened by them; and, when on 
the wing, they darken the air like a congeries of clouds. 
At the approach of evening, they retire to roost upon 
the trees. The inhabitants carefully abstain from 
hurting or kilHng them, on account of their important 
services in clearing the country of serpents and other 
venomous animals, upon which they feed. 

THE PELICAN is a migratory bird found on the lakes 
of Judsea and Egypt, and on the banks of the Nile and 
Strymon. The full-grown male is a larger and finer bird 
than the swan, weighing from twenty to twenty-five 
pounds, and measuring, from wing to wing, not less than 
fifteen feet. The upper beak or mandible is flat and 

* *• Ciconia etiam gratia, peregrina, hospita 
Pietati-cultrix." Petronius. 



ORNITHOLOGY. 



195 




THE PELICAIS^. 



broad^ and hooked at the end; the lower mandible has 
appended to it an elastic bag or pouchy reaching eight 
or nine inches down the neck^ and large enough, when 
dilated, to contain several quarts of water. Its food is 
fish, in diving for which it sometimes descends, rapidly 
from a great height. When it has replenished its pouch, 
it flies to some convenient point of a rock, where it 
swallows its prey at leisure. The vulgar and erroneous' 
notion that the pelican feeds her young with blood from 
her own breast, was derived from the use of the mandi- 
ble bag just described, which she opens, from time to 
time, to discharge a portion of its contents for their 
nourishment. 

The Holy Laud is at present infested with a frightful 
number of lizards, different kinds of serpents, vipers, 
scorpions, and various insects. ^ Flies of every species 

* Dr. Clarke, however, states, that the maritime districts of Syria and 
Palestine ai'e free from nosioiis reptiles and venomous insects, which he 
adduces in proof of the salubrity of the climate. Travels, part ii. sect 
10, chap. 3. 



196 



ORNITHOLOGY. 



are also extremely annoying. Ants are so numerous in 
some partSj that one traveller describes the road from 
El Arish to Jaffa^ as, for three days' journey, a con- 
tinued ant-hill/^ * 

* Travels of Ali Bey, vol. ii. p. 230. 

For more particular information concerning the Natural History of 
Palestine, the reader is referred to Rae Wilson's Travels in the Holy 
Land; The Hiero-Botanicon of Celsius ; The Iliero-Zoicon ot Bochart; 
Professor Paxton's Illustrations of Scripture, a most interesting and 
useful work, to which the Author is largely indebted for the materiel 
of this chapter; Dr. Harris's Dictionary of Biblical Natural History. 
Robinson's Lexicon; Hasselquist's Voyages in the Levant, Si'c,, &c. 



CHAPTER VI. 



CITIES, &c. OF PALESTINE. 

ABEL-BETH-MAACAH— a city in the tribe of Naphtali, 
where Sheba posted himself after exciting a rebellion 
against David. (3 Sam. xx. 14.) But the people of the 
place, in order to avert the horrors of a siege, cut off his 
head, and threw it over the wall to Joab, which terminated 
the affair. Eighty years after this event, it was taken 
and sacked by Benbadad (1 Kings xv. 20) ; and 200 
years subsequently, by Tiglath Pileser, who carried the 
inhabitants captive into Assyria. (2 Kings xv. 29.) It 
was, however, rebuilt ; and under the name of Abila, be- 
came the capital of Abilene. 

ABEL-MEHOLATH — a city supposed to have been 
near the Jordan, the birth-place of Ehsha (1 Kings xix. 
16), near which Gideon obtained a signal victory over the 
Midianites. (Judges vii. 22.) 

ABEL-MIZRAIM (mourning of the Egyptians) 
so called because, when Joseph went up out of Egypt, 
"with all the elders of Egypt, and all the servants of 
Pharaoh, and all his house, and the house of his brethren, 
chariots and horsemen, a very great company,^' to bury 
his father Jacob, the funeral procession halted here at the 
threshing-floor of Atad, and mourned seven days for the 
deceased patriarch. (Gen. 1. 10.) It was situated be- 
yond the river Jordan. 



198 CITIES, ETC. ABEL-SHITTIM ADMAH. 

ABEL-SHITTIM— a town in the plains of Moab, be- 
yond Jordan, opposite to Jericho, between which and 
Beth-jesimoth was the last encampment of the Israelites 
on that side of the river. (Num. xxv. 1 — 9.) The Sittim, 
or Baalim, were the arkite Gods. Abel Sittim signifies, 
the mourning of the Sittim, from the mournful and 
sanguinary rites that characterized the worship of Baal- 
peor, the deity of the country, whose temple stood hard 
by. This mourning was performed by women, and was 
the same as that of the Egyptians for Osiris, and of the 
Syrians for Thammuz or Adonis. Here the Israelites fell 
into idolatry, and worshiped Baal-peor, for which God 
punished them by the destruction of 24,000 persons in 
one day. 

ACCHO. See PTOLEMAIS. 

ACELDAMA (the field of blood),— a piece of ground 
without the south wall of Jerusalem, on the other side of 
the brook Siloam. It was called the Potter's Field, be- 
cause an earth or clay was dug in it, of which pottery was 
made ; and also the Fuller's Field, because cloth was dried 
in it. Having been afterwards purchased with the bribe 
of the High Priests, the money which had secured the 
betrayal and murder of the Messiah, it was thence desig- 
nated Aceldama. 

ACHSHAPH, or ACHZIB— a city on the Mediter- 
ranean coast, belonging to the tribe of Asher; from which^ 
however, they could not expel the Canaanites. (Judges 
i. 31.) It was called by the Greeks, Ecdippa; its present 
name is Zib. It lies about ten miles north of Acre, on a 
small hill near the sea. 

ADMAH, or ADAMA— one of the five cities of the 
Plain or Vale of Siddim ; four of which, including Admah, 
were overwhelmed in the fiery deluge. (Gen. xiv. 2.) It 
is probable that this city was not entirely covered by the 
waters of the Dead Se^, as Isaiah, according to the Sep- 



CITIES, ETC. ADULLAM ANTIPATKIS. 199 

tuagint, says, " God will destroy the Moabites, the city of 
Ar, and the remnant of Adama." 

ADULLAM — a city in the tribe of Judah, to the west 
of Hebron, whose king was slain by Joshua. (Josh, 
xii. 15.) It is frequently mentioned in the history of Saul 
and David ; and is chiefly memorable from the cave in its 
neighbourhood, whither David fled from Achish, king of 
Gath, when he w^as joined by the distressed and discon- 
tented, to the number of 400, over whom he became cap- 
tain. (1 Sam. xxii. 1.) Eusebius says, that, in his time, 
Adullam was a very great town, ten miles to the east of 
Eleutheropolis. 

Al, HAI, or GAI — a town of Palestine, situate west 
of Bethel, and three leagues north-west from Jericho, 
where the Israelites were worsted in consequence of the sin 
of Achan; but Joshua afterwards took it by stratagem. 
(Josh. vii. and viii.) Here also Abraham pitched his tent, 
and built an altar. (Gen. xii. 8 ; xiii. 3.) 

AJALON — a city of the Canaanites, near Gibeon. 
The adjoining valley is memorable in sacred history from 
the miracle of Joshua, in arresting the course of the sun 
and moon, that the Israelites might have sufficient light 
to pursue their enemies. (Josh. x. 12.) It was af- 
terwards a Levitical city, and belonging to the tribe of 
Dan, who did not, however, drive out the Amorites. 
(Judges i. 35.) 

ANATHOTH— a city in the tribe of Benjamin, 
three miles north from Jerusalem. It was one of the 
cities of refuge, and the birth-place of Jeremiah, the 
" weeping prophet.^' (Jer. i.) 

ANTIPATRIS — a town in Palestine, anciently called 
Caphar-sa-lama ; but being rebuilt by Herod the 
Great, was named Antipatris in honour of his father 
Antipater. It was situated in a pleasant valley, near 
the mountains, in the way from Jerusalem to Csesarea, 



200 CITIES, ETC. APHEK AEIMATHEA. 

about seventeen miles from Joppa, forty-two from 
Jerusalem, and twenty- six from Csesarea. Here Paul 
and his guard halted on their way to Caesar. (Acts 
xxiii. 31.) 

APHEK. — There were three cities of this name : 
Aphek, in the tribe of Judah, not far from Ebenezer, 
where the Israelites were defeated by the Philistines, 
and the ark taken (1 Sam. iv.) ; Aphek, in the valley 
of Jezreel, where the Philistines encamped, while Saul 
and his army were on the mountains of Gilboa 
(1 Sam. xxix. 1) ; and Aphek, in the tribe of Asher. 
(Josh. xiii. 4; xix. 30.) This is supposed to be the 
place where the battle was fought between Ahab and 
Benhadad. (1 Kings xx. 26.) 

AEGOB — a canton or province m the half tribe of 
Manasseh, beyond Jordan, on the eastern side of the 
lake Tiberias, and in the country of Bashan. In this 
region, there were sixty cities, called Bashan-havoth- 
Jair, which had very high walls and strong gates 
besides many villages and hamlets, which were not en- 
closed. (Deut. iii. 4 — 14 ; 1 Kings iv. 13.) 

But Argob was more peculiarly the name of the 
capital city of this district, which Eusebius says was 
fifteen miles west from Gerasa ; and Burckhardt sup- 
poses he found the ruins of this city in those of El 
Hossn, on the summit of a steep insulated hill. 

ARIxMATHEA, or, RAMAH, now caUed Ramie, or 
Rami — a pleasant town, beautifully situated on the 
borders of a fertile and extensive plain, abounding in 
gardens, vineyards, olive and date trees. It stands 
about thirty miles north-west from Jerusalem, on the 
high-road to Jaffa. This Ramah, which was likewise 
called Ramathaim Zophim, as lying in the district of 
Zuph, or Zoph, was the birth-place of Samuel 
(1 Sam. i.) ; and also of Joseph, who begged the body 



CITIES, ETC.-^ ARMAGEDDON ASHDOD. 201 

of Jesus from Pilate. (Matt, xxvii. 57.) There was 
anotlier Ramali, about six miles north of Jerusalem, in 
a pass which separated the kingdoms of Israel and 
Judah, which Baasha, king of Israel, took and began 
to fortify ; but he was obliged to relinquish it, in con- 
sequence of the alliance formed between Asa, king of 
Judah, and Benhadad, king of Syria. (1 Kings xv.) 
This is the Hamah supposed to be alluded to in the 
lamentation of Bachel for her children. (Mutt. ii. 18.) 

ABMAGEDDON— a city in the great plain of 
Esdraelon, at the foot of Mount Carmel, where the good 
prince Josiah received his mortal wound in battle with 
Necho, king of Egypt. 

AROER — a city on the river Arnon, which, like 
Rabbath-Ammon, appears to have consisted of two dis- 
tinct parts j the one on the bank of the river, and the 
other on an island formed by it ; it is always spoken of 
in conjunction with the city in the midst of the river.*' 
It formerly belonged to the kingdom of the Amorites ; 
but in the division of the land by Joshua, it was allotted 
to Reuben. (Joshua xiii. 16.) There appears to have 
been another Aroer, in the tribe of Gad, near Rabbath- 
Ammon. (Josh. xiii. 25 j Num. xxxii. 34.) But from 
the want of a true knowledge of the course of the 
Arnon, the two places have been confounded. 

ASHDOD, AZOTH, or AZOTUS,— called also by the 
Arabs Mezdel, and by the Syrians Ezdoud; a city 
built on the summit of a grassy hill, near the 
Mediterranean, between Gaza and Joppa. This was 
one of the five cities of the Philistines ; it is memorable 
for having sustained the longest siege mentioned in 
history, being taken by Psammetichus, king of Egypt, 
after a siege of twenty-nine years. It was a place of 
great strength, and sustained repeated sieges by the 
kings of Egypt and Assyria. By the early Christians 



2d 



202 CITIES^ ETC. ASHDOTH ASHTAROTH. 



it was made an Episcopal See. At present it is an 
inconsiderable place, abounding, however, with marble 
columns, capitals, cornices, &c. — the fragments and 
mementoes of its former magnificence. At Asbdod was 
the far-famed temple of the god Dagon, which fell 
before the ark of Jehovah (1 Sam. v. 2); and here 
Philip the Evangelist was found after he had baptized 
the Ethiopian eunuch. (Acts viii. 40.) 

ASHDOTH PISGAH, or ASHDOD PISGAH— 
a city of the Amorites, afterwards belonging to the tribf 
of Reuben. It was situated near the mountain of the 
same name. 

ASHTAROTH (sheep) or ASHTAROTH-CAE- 
NAIM — one of the capital cities of the kingdom of 
Bashan. The adjunct Carnaim implies, in the Hebrew, 
two-horned; and the city is supposed to have derived 
both names from the worship paid to the goddess Ash- 
taroth, or Astarte, who, like the Egyptian Isis, was re- 
presented with two horns, or a horned moon.* This 

* Ashtaroth was the chief goddess of the Sidonians, and was much 
worshiped in Syria and Phoenicia under that name. She was also 
called "the queen of heaven," and her worship is said to be that of the 
" host of heaven." Her original temples were woods and groves, as 
were those of Baal, with whom she is generally associated in Scripture ; 
in these groves the most lascivious and abominable orgies were practised. 
While bloody sacrifices, or human victims, were offered to Baal, bread, 
liquors, and perfumes were presented to Astarte. Solomon, seduced by 
his foreign wives (the usual agents of mischief), introduced the worship 
of Ashlaroth into Israel ; but it was reserved for Jezebel, daughter of the 
king of Tyre, to establish it. We are told (1 Kings xviii.) that 400 of 
her priests, termed prophets of the groves, were summoned, together 
with 450 of the priests of Baal, to Mount Carmel by Elijah. From this 
statement, some idea may be formed both of the extravagance of Jezebel, 
and the costliness of the worship of her favorite goddess. These 400 
prophets were her domestic priests, who fed at her table, and probably 
were employed in the ceremonial of a single temple ; as there was one 
in after ages at Hieropolis, in Syria, where 300 priests were constantly 
engaged in the service of the same goddess, who was adopted by the 
eastern Greeks under the name of Astarte. 



CITIES> ETC. ASKELON BASHAN. 203 



city was a considerable place in Jerome's time, but has 
since disappeared. 

ASKELON, or ASCALON— one of the five great 
cities or lordships of the Philistines; situated on the 
sea-coast, between Gaza and Ashdod, about 520 fur- 
longs from Jerusalem. It was the birth-place of 
Herod the Great ; and from its strength and position, 
was an object of great contention in the wars of the 
Crusades. Here, in 1099, the caliph of Egypt was 
defeated by Godfrey of Bouillon; and, in 1192, a sig- 
nal victory was obtained by Kiug Richard the First over 
the Emperor Saladin, when 40,000 of his united army 
of Saracens and Turks were slain, and the city itself 
captured. Ascalon is now in ruins, and is called by 
the natives Scalona. 

AZEKAH — a city in the tribe of Judah, near 
Bethoron, between Eleutheropolis and Jerusalem. See 
Bethoron. 

AZOTUS. See ASHDOD. 

AZZA. See GAZA. 

BAHUEIM — a place near Jerusalem, where Shimei 
cursed and threw stones at David, as he fled from Absa- 
lom. (2 Sam. xvi. 6.) 

BASHAN, or BASAN— one of the most fertile can- 
tons of Canaan ; bounded on the west by the river Jor- 
dan, on the east by the mountains of Gileafl, on the 
south by the river Jabbok, and on the north by the 
land of Gesliur. The district took its name from the 
hill of Bashan, which stands in the middle of it. Bashan 
is celebrated in Scripture for its gigantic inhabitants, 
its bills, its pasturage, its cattle, and its oaks, and was, 
in short, a plentiful and populous country. It had no 
less than sixty walled towns in it, besides villages. In 
the division of the Holy Land, it was apportioned to 
the half- tribe of Manasseh. Of the present state of 



204 



CITIES, ETC. BEER. 



tliis country, Mr. Buckingham gives the following inter- 
esting account : — " We ascended the steep on the north 
side of the Zerkah, or Jabbok; and, on reaching the 
, summit, came again on a beautiful plain, of an elevated 
level, and still covered with a very rich soil. We con- 
tinued our way over this elevated tract, continuing to 
behold, with surprise and admiration, a beautiful coun- 
try on all sides of us ; its plains covered with a fertile 
soil, its hills clothed with forests; at every new turn 
presenting the most magnificent landscapes that can be 
imagined. Amongst the trees, the oak was frequently 
seen ; and we know that this territory produced them 
of old. (Ezek. xxvii. 6.) The expression of the 'fat 
bulls of Bashan,^ had seemed to us inconsistent, as ap- 
plied to the beasts of a country generally thought to be 
a desert, in common with the whole tract which is laid 
down in our modern maps as such between the Jordan 
and the Euphrates : but we could now fully comprehend, 
not only that the bulls of this luxuriant country might 
be proverbially fat, but that its possessors, too, might be 
a race renowned for strength and comeliness of person. 
The general face of this region improved as we advanced 
further in it; and every new direction of our path 
opened upon us views which surprised and charmed us 
with their grandeur and their beauty. Lofty mountains 
gave an outline of the most magnificeut character ; flow- 
ing beds of secondary hills softened the romantic wild- 
ness of the picture ; gentle slopes, clothed with wood, 
gave a rich variety of tints, hardly to be imitated by 
the pencil ; deep valleys, filled with murmuring streams 
and verdant meadows, offered all the luxuriance of 
cultivation ; and herds and flocks gave life and anima- 
tion to scenes as grand, as beautiful, and as highly 
picturesque, as the genius or taste of a Claude could 
either invent or desire.-'^ 

BEER (a well). — There were two places of this 



CITIES^ ETC.^^ BEEROTH BETHABARA. 205 

name, both being so called from their possessing a well 
of water. One was in the land of Moab, where the 
Israelites encamped (Num. xxi. 16) ; the other in the 
tribe of Judah, about twelve miles north-west of Jeru- 
salem, to which place Jotham fled. (Judges ix. 21.) 

BEEROTH — a city near Gibeon, seven miles from 
Jerusalem, on the road from that city to Neapolis. It 
is pleasantly situated on the slope of a hill, having a 
spring of water at the bottom, from which it took its 
name. 

BEEESHEBA (the well of an oath,)~llhh n^me was 
originally applied to the well which Abraham dug at 
Gerar, in commemoration of the covenant which he 
there entered into with Abimelech. (Gen. xxi. 31.) 
In process of time a considerable town was built on 
the spot, which took the same name. Beersheba was 
given by Joshua to the tribe of Judah, and afterwards 
transferred to Simeon, (Josh. xv. 28.) It was situated 
twenty miles south of Hebron, being the extreme 
southern part of the land of Israel, as Dan was in tbe 
north. The tw^o places are thus mentioned in Scrip- 
ture, "from Dan to Beersheba,^^ denoting the entire 
length of the country, from north to south. 

BELA. See ZOAB. 

BETH AB AH A, or BETHBABAH (the place of pas- 
sage) — a town on the east bank of Jordan, over against 
Jericho, near one of the principal fords of that river. 
(Josh. ii. 7; iii. 15.) To this place Gideon sent a party 
to secure the passage of the river, previous to his attack 
upon the Midianites. (Judges vii. 24.) This spot John 
selected for baptizing, on account of the convenient 
depth of the water; and here our Lord himself was 
baptized. (John i. 28.) To this place, also, Jesus 
retired, when the Jews sought to take him at the feast 
of Dedication. (John x. 39.) 



206 CITIES^ ETC. BETHANT BETHAVEN 

BETHANY ftne house of affliction)— i^Q town of 
Martha and Maj-y, and the scene of some of the most 
affecting incidents of our Lord^s life and ministry. 
Hither he often retired after the toils and cares of the 
day were over, and, in the bosom of this interesting 
family, enjoyed a sweet seclusion and an endearing fel- 
lowship. Here Jesus wept with the afflicted sisters, 
and raised their brother from the tomb. (John xi.) 
Here Mary anointed his feet with precious ointment, 
and wiped them with her hair (John xii. 3); and from 
this place our blessed Saviour ascended into heaven. 
(Luke xxiv. 50.) Bethany was pleasantly situated on 
the retired and shady side of the Mount of Olives, about 
two miles from Jerusalem, on the road to Jericho. At 
the entrance into it, there is an old ruin, called the 
castle of Lazarus, said to be the mansion where he and 
his sisters resided. At the bottom of a descent, not 
far from the castle, is shown his sepulchre, which the 
Turks hold m great veneration, and use it for an 
oratory, or place for prayer. About a bow- shot from 
thence, you pass by the place which they say was the 
house of Mary Magdalene; and thence descending a 
steep hill, you come to the " Fountain of the Apostles,^' 
which is so called because, as the tradition goes, those 
holy persons were wont to refresh themselves there, on 
their way from Jerusalem to Jericho ; which is not im- 
probable, as the fountain is close to the road-side, and 
very inviting to the thirsty traveller. 

BETHAVEN, or BETHEL— the place where Jacob 
had a remarkable dream, from which he named the spot 
Bethel. This name was subsequently transferred to the 
adjoining city of Luz, which was allotted to the tribe of 
Ephraim. Upon the revolt of the ten tribes, it was in- 
corporated in the kingdom of Israel, and was one of the 
places where Jeroboam set up his golden calves ; whence 



CITIES, ETC.— BETH-JESIMOTH BETHLEHEM. 207 



the Prophet, in derision, calls it Beth-aven (Hosea iv. 
15 j X. 15), that is, the house of vanity, or idols, instead 
of Beth- el, the house of God. Eusebius says that Bethel 
was twelve miles from Jerusalem, in the way to Sichem. 
" The nature of the soil," says Dr. Clarke, is an exist- 
ing comment upon the record of the stony territory 
where Jacob 'took of the stones of the place, and put 
them for his pillow.' " 

BETH-JESIMOTH— a city between the mountains 
of Abarim and the river Jordan, and near the junction 
of that river with the Dead Sea, about ten miles north- 
east of Jericho. (Josh. xii. 3.) It belonged originally 
to Sihon, king of the Amorites, and afterwards to the 
tribe of Reuben. Between this place and Abel-Shittim 
the Israelites made their last encampment before cross- 
ing the Jordan. 

BETHLEHEM (house of bread)— 2. city in the tribe 
of Judah, six miles south of Jerusalem, in the way to 
Hebron. The name of Bethlehem was given to it, pro- 
bably, on account of its fertility. It was also called 
Ephrath (Gen. xlviii. 7), or Ephratah (Micah v. 2), that 
is, the fruitful, after Caleb^s wife; and the ''City of 
David" (Luke ii. 4), because that monarch was born 
there; also "Bethlehem of Judsea" (Matt. ii. 1, 5), to 
distinguish it from another Bethlehem in the tribe of 
Zebulun. Here David spent his early years in the hum- 
ble occupation of a shepherd, until his encounter with 
Goliath opened to him a new and more glorious career. 
Here also were born Abijah, Elimelech, Obed, Jesse, 
Boaz, and the Apostle Matthias ; and here is supposed 
to have been the scene of the beautifal eclogue of Buth. 
But that which gives this little city a preeminence over 
every other, J erusalem excepted, is, that here the Son of 
the Highest condescended to be born in humbleness and 
poverty • And thou, Bethlehem-Ephratah, though thou be 



208 CITIES, ETC. BETHLEHEM. 

little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall 
he come forth unto me, that is to be ruler in Israel, whose 
goings forth have been of old, from everlasting.'' A church 
has been built over the spot where this stupendous 
event is supposed to have taken place. It is built iu the 
form of a cross; the nave being adorned with forty- 
eight Corinthian columns in four rows, each column 
being two feet six inches in diameter, and eighteen feet 
high, including the base and the capital. The nave is 
separated from the three other branches of the cross 
by a wall, so that the unity of the edifice is destroyed. 
The top of the cross is occupied by the choir. Here is 
an altar dedicated to the wise men of the East, at the 
foot of which is a marble star, corresponding, as the 
monks say, to the point of the heavens where the 
miraculous meteor became stationary, and directly over 
the spot where the Saviour was born in the subterra- 
nean church below. A flight of fifteen steps, and a 
long narrow passage, conduct to the sacred crypt, or 
*' Grotto of the Nativity which is thirty-seven feet six 
inches long, by eleven feet three inches in breadth, and 
nine feet high. It is lined and floored with marble, 
and provided on each side with five oratories, "an- 
swering precisely to the ten cribs or stalls for horses 
that the stable in which our Saviour was born con- 
tained.^^ The precise spot of the birth is marked 
by a glory in the floor, composed of marble and jasper 
encircled with silver, around which are inscribed the 
words, Hie de Virgine Maria Jesus Christus natus 
est/'^ Over it is a marble table, or altar, which rests 
against the side of the rock, here cut into an arcade. 
The manger is at the distance of seven paces from the 
altar ^ it is in a low recess hewn out of the rock, to 



• " Here Jesus Clirist was born of the Virgin Mary." 



CITIES ETC. BETHLEHEM. 



209 



which you descend by two steps, and consists of a block 
of marble, raised about a foot and a-half above the floor, 
and hollowed out in the form of a manger. 

Before it is the altar of the Magi. The chapel is illu- 
minated by thirty-two lamps, presented by different princes 
of Christendom. Chateaubriand has described the scene 
in his usual florid and imaginative style : — " Nothing can 
be more pleasing, or better calculated to excite devotional 
sentiments, than this subterraneous church. It is adorned 
with pictures of the Italian and Spanish schools, which 
represent the mysteries of the place. The usual ornaments 
of the manger are of blue satin, embroidered with silver. 
Incense is continually burning before the cradle of our 
Saviour. I have heard an organ, touched by no ordinary 
hand, play, during mass, the sw^eetest and most tender 
tunes of the best Italian composers. These concerts charm 
the Christian Arab, who, leaving his camels to feed, 
repairs, like the shepherds of old, to Bethlehem, to adore 
the King of kings in the manger. I have seen this 
inhabitant of the desert communicate at the altar of the 
Magi, with a fervour, a piety, a devotion, unknown 
among the Christians of the West. The continual arrival 
of caravans from all parts of Christendom ; the public 
prayers ; the prostrations ; nay, even the richness of the 
presents sent here by the Christian princes, altogether 
produce feelings in the soul which it is much easier to 
conceive than to describe." Such are the illusions which 
the Roman superstition casts over this extraordinary scene. 
In another subterraneous chapel, tradition places the 
sepulchres of the Innocents. From this, the pilgrim is 
conducted to the grotto of St. Jerome, where they show 
the tomb of that father, who passed great part of his life 
in this place; and w^ho in the grotto shown as his oratory, 
is said to have translated that version of the Bible which 
has been adopted by the Church of Borne, and is called 



2e 



210 



CITIES, ETC. BETHLEHEM, 



the Vulgate. The village of Bethlehem, now called Beit- 
Lahm, or Beit-el-Ham, stands on an eminence^i on a 
chalky but fruitful soil ; the sides of the hill, as well as 
its summit, are interspersed with fine vineyards, banked 
in with stones, which must have cost prodigious labour. 
The grapes are remarkably large and finely flavoured ; and 
in addition to these, there is an abundance of figs, pome- 
granates, and olives, on which fruits the inhabitants chiefly 
subsist. In the valley corn is grown ; and the bread made 
from it is of an excellent quality. The dews, which fall 
in great abundance, are highly favourable to the vegeta- 
tion. Bethlehem contains about 300 inhabitants ; the 
greater part of whom gain their livelihood by making 
beads, carving mother-of-pearl shells with sacred subjects, 
and manufacturing small tables and crucifixes, all of which 
are eagerly purchased by the pilgrims. The following 
notice of this interesting locality, by Dr. E. D. Clarke, 
will amply repay the perusal 

''After travelling for about an hour from the time of 
our leaving Jerusalem, we came in view of Bethlehem, and 
halted to enjoy the iuteresting sight. The town appeared 
covering the ridge of a hill on the southern side of a deep 
and extensive valley, and reaching from east to west ; the 
most conspicuous object being the monastery, erected 
over the cave of the Nativity, in the suburbs, and upon the 
eastern side. The battlements and walls of this building 
seemed like those of a vast fortress. The Dead Sea be- 
low, upon our left, appeared so near to us that we thought 
we could have rode thither in a very short space of time. 
Still nearer stood a mountain upon its western shore, re- 
sembling in its form the cone of Vesuvius near Naples, 
and having also a crater upon its top, which was plainly 
discernible. The distance, however, is much greater than 
it appears to be ; the magnitude of the objects beheld in 
this fine prospect causing them to appear less remote than 



CITIES^ ETC. BETHLEHEM. 



211 



they really are. The atmosphere was remarkably clear 
and serene ; but we saw none of those clouds of smoke, 
which, by some writers, are said to exhale from the sur- 
face of the lake, nor from any neighbouring mountain. 
Everything about it was in the highest degree grand and 
awful. Bethlehem is six miles from Jerusalem. Josephus 
describes the interval between the two cities as equal only 
to twenty stadia ; and in the passage referred to, he 
makes an allusion to a celebrated well, which, both from 
the account given by him of its situation, and more 
especially from the text of the Sacred Scriptures (2 Sam. 
xxiii. 15), seems to have contained the identical fountain, 
of whose pure and delicious water we were now drinking. 
Considered merely in point of interest, the narrative is not 
likely to be surpassed by any circumstance of pagan 
history. David, being a native of Bethlehem, calls to 
mind, during the sultry days of harvest (verse 13), a well 
near the gate of the town, the delicious waters of which 
he had often tasted; and expresses an earnest desire to 
assuage his thirst by drinking of that limpid spring. 
'And David longed, and said, that one w^ould give 
me to drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which 
is by the gate !^ The exclamation is overheard by ' three 
of the mighty men whon David had,^ namely, Adino^ 
Eleazar, and Shamnah (verses 8, 9, 11). These men 
sallied forth, and having fought their way through the 
garrison of the PhiUstines at Bethlehem (verse 14), ' drew 
water from the well that was by the gate/ on the other 
side of the town, and brought it to David. Coming into 
his presence, they present to him the surprising testimony 
of their valour and affection. The aged monarch receives 
from their hands a pledge they had so dearly earned, but 
refuses to drink of water every drop of which had been 
purchased with blood. (2 Sam. xxiii. 17.) He returns 
thanks to the Almighty, who had vouchsafed the deliver- 



212 CITIES, ETC. BETHORON — BETHSAIDA, 



ance of his warriors from the jeopardy they had en- 
countered ; and pouring out the water as a Hbation on the 
ground, makes an offering of it to the Lord. The well 
still retains its pristine renown ; and many an expatriated 
Bethlehemite has made it the theme of his longing and 
regret/^ 

BETHORON, THE NETHER AND THE UPPER 
—two towns in the tribe of Ephraim, built by a woman of 
that tribe, named Sherah. (1 Chron. vii. 24.) It is pro- 
bable that they were near together, and stood, the one on 
the top, and the other at 4;he foot of the same hill. It is 
evident that one of them stood on a hill, as we are told 
(Josh. X. 10, 11) that the Lord chased the Caanaanites 
*^ along the way that ffoeth up to Bethoron and that in 
" the going doum of Bethoron, the Lord cast down great 
(hail) stones upon them at Azekah.''^ Azekah was in the 
tribe of Judah ; consequently, Bethoron must have been 
in the extreme south of the territory of Ephraim. Dr. 
Clarke found a village, named Bethoor or Bethoon, about 
twelve miles from Jerusalem, on the road to Jaffa ; which, 
strange to say, had been unnoticed by every former 
traveller, although it answers precisely in situation and 
in all the required local circumstances, to the ancient 
Bethoron. 

BETHPHAGE {the place of figs)— so called from the 
abundance of figs which grew there, — a village near Bethan}^, 
about fifteen furlongs east of Jerusalem, on the ascent of 
the mount of Olives. Jesus being come from Bethany to 
Bethphage, commanded his disciples to seek him out an 
ass^s colt that he might ride, in his triumphant entrance 
into Jerusalem. (Matt, xxi.) 

BETHSAIDA {a place of fishing, or hunting) — a city 
on the north-east side of the Sea of Galilee, near its 
junction with the Jordan, and opposite Chorazin, which 
stood on the western side of the lake. It was the birth- 
place and residence of three of the apostles, viz., Philip, 



CITIES, ETC, BETHSAIDA. 



213 



Andrew, and Peter, two of whom were fishermen, for 
whicli pursuit tlie place was favourably situated ; as 
also for that of hunting, the neighbouring country 
abounding with deer. Until the time of Philip the 
Tetrarch, it was a mere village ; he, however, raised it 
to the size and magnificence of a city, and called it 
Julias, in honour of Julia, the daughter of Caesar. 

'^The Evangelists speak of Bethsaida; and yet it 
then possessed that name no longer. It was enlarged 
and beautified nearly at the same time as Csesarea, and 
called Julias. Thus it was called in the days of our 
Lord, and so would the sacred historians have been 
accustomed to call it. But if they knew nothing of 
this, what shall we say of their age ? In other respects 
they evince the most accurate knowledge of the circum. 
stances of the time. The solution is, that, though 
Philip had exalted it to the rank of a city, to which he 
gave the name of Julias, yet, not long afterwards, this 
Julia, in whose honour the city received its name, was 
banished from the country by her own father. The 
deeply-wounded honour of Augustus was even anxious 
that the world might forget that she was his daughter, 
Tiberius, whose wife she had been, consigned the un- 
fortunate princess, after the death of Augustus, to the 
most abject poverty, under which she sank without 
assistance. Thus adulation must under two reigns 
have suppressed a name, from which otherwise the city 
might haA^e wished to derive benefit to itself; and for 
some time it was called by its ancient name Bethsaida, 
instead of Julias. At a later period this name again 
came into circulation, and appears in the catalogue of 
Jewish cities by Pliny. By such incidents^ which are 
so easily overlooked, and the knowledge of which is 
afterwards lost, do those who are really acquainted with 
an age disclose their authenticity. ^But it is strange,' 
some one will say, ' that John reckons this Bethsaida, 



<Jl4 CITIES^ ETC. BETHSAIDA. 

or Julias, where lie was born, in Galilee. (John xii. 21.) 
Should he not know to what province his birth-place 
belonged?^ Philip only governed the eastern districts 
by the Sea of Tiberias ; but Galilee was the portion of 
his brother Antipas. Bethsaida or Julias could there- 
fore not have been built by Philip, as the case is ; or it 
did not belong to Galilee, as John alleges. In fact, 
such an error were sufficient to prove that this Gospel 
was not written by John. Julias, however, was situated 
in Gaulonitis, which district was, for deep political 
reasons, divided from Galilee ; but the ordinary lan- 
guage of the time asserted its own opinion, and still 
reckoned the Gaulonitish province in Galilee. WheUf 
therefore, John does the same, he proves that the pecu- 
liarity of those days was not unknown to him ; for he 
expresses himself after the ordinary manner of the 
period. Thus Josephus informs us of Judas the Gaul- 
onite from Gamala, and also calls him in the following 
chapters, the Galilean ; and then in another work he 
applies the same expression to him ; from whence we 
may be convinced that the custom of those days paid 
respect to a more ancient division of the country, and 
bade defiance, in the present case, to the then existing 
political geography. Is it possible that historians who, 
as it is evident from such examples, discover throughout 
so nice a knowledge of geographical arrangements and 
local and even temporary circumstances, should have 
written at a time, when the theatre of events was un- 
known to them, when not only their native country was 
destroyed, but their nation scattered, and the national 
existence of the Jews extinguished and extirpated? 
On the contrary, all this is in proof that they wrote at 
the very period which they profess, and it also proves 
the usual antiquity assigned to the Gospels.''* 

• Watson's Dictionary, p. 166, 



CITIES, ETC. BETHSHAN BETHSHEMESU. 

Bethsaida was one of the cities against which Christ 
denounced a woe for its impenitence and infidelity after 
the mighty works he had done there. (Matt. xi. 21.) 
This denunciation has been fearfully verified ; the once 
splendid city of Philip has long since been reduced to 
an insignificant hamlet ; five or six poor cottages being 
all that remain of it. 

BETHSHAN— a city belonging to the half-tribe of 
Manasseh, west of Jordan, about twelve miles south of 
the Sea of Galilee, and seventy-five miles from Jerusa- 
lem. It was a considerable city in the time of Eusebius 
and Jerome, and was then called Scythopolis, that is, 
the city of the Scythians, from some remarkable occur- 
rence supposed to have taken place when that people 
made an irruption into Syria. After the battle of 
Mount Gilboa, in which Saul was defeated and slew 
himself, the Philistines fastened his body, with those of 
his three sons, to the city wall. (1 Sam. xxxi. 10.) 
Bethshan is now called Bysan, and is a small village, 
containing seventy or eighty houses, whose inhabitants 
are kept in a wretched condition by the depredations of 
the Bedouins. The ruins of the ancient city are of 
considerable extent, and show it to have been nearly 
three miles in circuit. 

BETHSHEMESH (house of the sunj—so called, in all 
probability, from the worship paid to that luminary by 
the Canaanites. This was a city of the tribe of Judah, 
belonging to the Levites. (Josh. xxi. 16.) It stood 
thirty miles west of Jerusalem. The Philistines having 
sent back the ark, it was brought to Bethshemesh (1 
Sam. vi. 12), where some of the people out of curiosity 
having looked into it, the Lord destroyed seventy of 
the principal men belonging to the city, and 50,000 of 
the common people. (ver. 19.) It is here to be 
observed, that it was solemnly enjoined (Numb. iv. 20) 



216 



CITIES, ETC. BETHULIA BEZER. 



that, not only the common people, but even the Levitea 
themselves, should not dare to look into the ark upon 
pain of death. "It is a fearful thirtg,^^ says Bishop 
Hall, ''to use the holy ordinances of God with an irre- 
verent boldness ; fear and trembling become us in our 
access to the majesty of the Almighty .^^ 

BETHULIA — a city celebrated as the scene of the 
bold manoeuvre of Judith, which led to the defeat of 
the Assyrian army under Holofernes, and the deliverance 
of Judaea. Its exact position is not known ; but from 
Judith vii. 3, it appears to have been in or near the 
plain of Esdraelon. 

BETHZUR, or BETHSURA— a city in the tribe of 
Judah (Josh. xv. 58), about twenty miles south of 
Jerusalem, near to Hebron. It was one of the cities 
fortified by Behoboam (2 Chron. xi. 7), and afterwards 
by Judas Maccabseus, as a defence against Idumsea, 
towards which it was a frontier town. It appears to 
have been, in the time of the Asmonean princes, a 
place of great strength, as it repeatedly withstood the 
attacks of Lysias and Antiochus Eupator. 

BEZEK — a city between Sichem and Scythopolis. 
Here, after the death of Joshua, the men of Judah 
made a great slaughter of the Canaanites ; and, having 
found Adonibezek, their king, they cut off his thumbs 
and great toes, as he, by his own confession, had done 
to seventy other kings; and then led him captive to 
Jerusalem, where he died. (Judges i. I — 7). 

BEZEB, BOZBA, or BOSTBA— a city in the tribe 
of Beuben, and one of the cities of refuge, which v/as 
given to ihe Levites of Gershom^s family. (Deut. iv. 
43.) It is usually styled "Bezer in the wilderness^' 
(Josh. XX. 8), because it lay in Arabia Deserta, and the 
eastern part of Edom, encompassed with deserts. Euse- 
bius places Bozra tw^enty-four miles from Edrai. This 



CITIES, ETC. CiESAREA. 



217 



city is sometimes said to belong to Reuben, sometimes 
to Moab, and sometimes to Edom. The reason is, that 
being a frontier town to these three provinces, it was 
occasionally in the hands of one party, and then was 
taken by another. There was another Bozrah, the 
capital city of Edom (Jer. xlix. 13), celebrated for its 
dyed garments, and its sheep. (Gen. xxxvi. 33 ; Isa. 
xxxiv. 6 ; Ixiii. 1 ; Micah ii. 12.) 

C^SAREA — the proud and princely city of Herod the 
Great, by whom it was built, twenty-two years before the 
birth of Christ, and who made it the seat of his govern- 
ment and the metropolis of Palestine. It stands on the 
Mediterranean coast, about thirty miles north of Jaffa, and 
sixty-two from Jerusalem ; it is sometimes called C^esarea 
Palestina, to distinguish it from Csesarea Philippi. This 
city was built by Herod with great magnificence and 
beauty, and adorned with all the wonders of Grecian and 
Roman art. The coast being extremely inhospitable and 
dangerous, with no natural shelter for shipping, and 
exposed to all the fury of the westerly storms, Herod 
determined to rectify this defect. At immense cost and 
labour, he constructed one of the most stupendous works 
of antiquity. He threw out a semicircular mole, which, - 
extending 200 feet into the sea, protected the port from 
the south and west winds, leaving only a sufficient open- 
ing for vessels to enter on the north ; so that within this 
artificial enclosure a fleet might ride in all weathers in 
perfect safety. This mole was constructed of huge blocks 
)f stone or marble, sunk in the sea to the depth of 
'<,wenty fathoms, on which works were erected. Some- 
thing like a correct idea of this artificial harbour may be 
formed by comparing it, in its plan and purpose, with the 
celebrated Breakwater at Plymouth. Among the many 
splendid buildings erected by Herod, were a large temple. 



2f 



218 CITIES, ETC. CiESAREiL. 

dedicated to Csesar, a theatre, and an ampliitneatre. 
" Perhaps there has not been/' says Dr. Clarke, " in the 
history of the world, an example of any city that in so 
short a space of time rose to such an extraordinary height 
of splendour as did this of Csesarea, or that exhibits a 
more awful contrast to its former magnificence, in the 
present desolate appearance of its ruins. Its theatres, once 
resounding with the shouts of multitudes, echo no other 
sound than the nightly cries of animals roaming for their 
prey. Of its gorgeous palaces and temples, enriched with 
the choicest works of art, and decorated with the most 
precious marbles, scarcely a trace can be discerned. 
Within the space of ten years after laying the foundation, 
from an obscure fortress, (called the Tower of Strato, as 
it is said, from the Greek who founded it^) it became the 
most celebrated and flourishing city of all Syria. It was 
named Csesarea by Herod, in honour of Augustus Csesar, 
and dedicated by him to that Emperor, in the twenty- 
eighth year of his reign." 

This noble city is now a scene of desolate ruins, with- 
out a single inhabitant. The sites of the ancient edifices 
are mere mounds of undefinable form^ affording no data 
for topographical conjectures. Its walls, reared by St. 
Louis during his crusade, are still standing ; but all with- 
in the enclosure is silent desolation, a maze of scattered 
stones, of uncovered vaults, of ruined edifices, of marble 
and porphyry fragments, and heaps of architectural rub- 
bish. The whole surrounding country, on the side of the 
land, is now a sandy desert ; and, on the side of the sea, 
the waves wash the ruins of the moles, towers, and port, 
which were once its ornament and defence. Not a crea- 
ture, except jackalls and other beasts of prey, resides 
within many miles of this forsaken spot ; and its ruins were 
resorted to as a quarry by Djezzar Pacha, who brought 
from hence the columns of rare and beautiful marble, aa 



CITIES, ETC. CiESAREA PHILIPPl. 219 

well as the other ornaments of his palace, bath, foun- 
tain, and mosque at Acre. Csssarea is often mentioned 
in the records of the apostolic age. Here it was that 
Herod Agrippa was smitten of the Lord for not giving 
God the glory when the people were so extravagant in 
his praise. (Acts xii. 21 — 23.) Here resided Cornelius 
and his friends, who were converted under the preach- 
ing of Peter (Acts x.) ; and also Philip the Evangelist. 
(Acts xxi. 8.) At Csesarea, the prophet Agabus fore- 
told that St. Paul would be bound and persecuted at 
Jerusalem (Acts xxi. 10) , and here the scholar of 
Tarsus, after two years^ imprisonment, made that elo- 
quent appeal, in defence of himself and of youthful 
Christianity, which produced such a powerful effect on 
his royal auditor (Acts xxiv.) And lastly, nere was 
born Eusebius, the celebrated historian, who was bishop 
of this city at the beginning of the fourth century. 

C^SAREA PHILIPPl— a city at the foot of 
Mount Hermon, near the source of the Jordan, about 
fifty miles from Damascus, and thirty from Tyre. It 
was originally called Laish, or Leshem. (Judges xviii. 7.) 
After its conquest by the Danites (Judges xviii. 29), 
it received the name of Dan ; and by heathen writers 
is termed Panias, either from the worship of Pan, or 
from the mountain of Panium, at the base of which it 
stands ; the probability is, that both the city and the 
mountain took their name from the Pagan worship. It 
was enlarged and beautified by Philip, the youngest 
son of Herod the Great, who made it the capital of his 
tetrarchy ; he gave it the name of Csesarea, in honour 
of Tiberius Csesar, and Philippi, in honour of himself, 
and also to distinguish it from Csesarea of Palestine. 
Our Saviour visited and taught in this place, and 
healed one possessed of an unclean spirit , here also he 



220 CITIES^ ETC. CANA CAPERNAUJH 



gave the memorable rebuke to Peter. (Mark viii, 33.) 
The present Banias contains only a few poor cottages, in- 
habited mostly by Turks, with u few Greeks and Druses. 

CANA OF GALILEE— so called to distinguish it 
from another Cana, or Kanah, in the tribe of Asher, 
not far from Sidon. (Josh. xix. 28.) It lay in the 
tribe of Zebulun, about eight miles north of Nazareth, 
and a short distance west of Capernaum, on a gentle 
eminence in the midst of a fine valley. This position 
of the place agrees with the language employed by the 
Evangelist, and shows the geographical accuracy of the 
writer. The ruler of Capernaum, whose child was 
dangerously ill, besought Jesus to "come down and 
heal him.^' And it is said, " as he was going down'^ 
(from Cana to Capernaum,) '^his servant met him.^' 
The road from the former place to the latter is, in fact, 
a continual descent. Cana was the birtn-place of 
Nathanael, and the scene of our Lord^s first miracle. 
(John ii. 1 — 11.) About a quarter of a mile from the 
present village, is a spring of delicious limpid water, 
close to the road. Pilgrims halt at this spring, under 
an impression that it supplied the water which our 
Lord converted into wine. It is an interesting fact, 
that Dr. Clarke, walking among the ruins of this place, 
saw large massy stone water-pots, answering exactly to 
the description given of the ancient vessels of the 
country (John ii, 6) ; not preserved or exhibited as 
relics, but lying about, disregarded by the present 
inhabitants, as antiquities with whose original use they 
were unacquainted. From their appearance, and the 
number of them, it was quite evident that a practice of 
keeping water in large stone pots, each holding from 
eighteen to twenty-seven gallons (from two to three 
firkins), was once common in the country. 

CAPERNAUM— a city at the north-west corner of 



CITIES, ETC. — CARMEL- — CINNEROTH. 221 

the Sea of Galilee, not far from Bethsaida. It was the 
usual residence of our Saviour during the period of his 
public ministry ; whence it was called " his own city/' 
(Matt. ix. 1.) Here he healed the nobleraan^s son 
(John iv. 47) ; Peter^s wife^s mother (Matt. viii. 14) ; 
the centurion^s servant (Matt. viii. 5.) ; and the ruler^s 
daughter. (Matt. ix. 18.) In its vicinity he delivered 
his Sermon on the Mount (Matt. v. et seq.) ; and near 
it was the custom-house where Matthew was sitting 
when Jesus called him. (Matt. ix. 9.) Capernaum, 
which was at that time a very flourishing city, " exalted 
unto heaven,^^ drew from the Saviour, by its impenitence 
and unbelief, the severe denunciation, that it should 
be "brought down to hell.^^ This prediction has been 
fully realized ; the city is reduced to a state of utter 
desolation ; not a house is standing, not an inhabitant 
remains. 

Burckhardt supposes the ruins called Tal Houm, near 
the rivulet El Eshe, to be those of Capernaum. Mr. 
Buckingham, w^ho gives this place the name of Talh- 
hewn, describes considerable and extensive ruins — the 
only remains of those splendid edifices which exalted 
Capernaum above its fellows. 

CAHMEL — a city in the southern part of the tribe 
of Judah, about ten miles east of Hebron, called by 
Eusebius and Jerome, Carmelia. This was the native- 
place of Nabal, the husband of Abigail. (1 Sam. xxvii. 3.) 

CHOBAZIN — a city at the north-west extremity of 
the Sea of Galilee, near its confluence with the Jordan, 
and opposite to Bethsaida. It was one of the three citie-s 
against which the insulted Redeemer denounced a woe 
for their infidelity, and, like Bethsaida and Capernaum, 
it has sunk beneath the curse. 

CINNEROTH, or CINNERETH^a city on the 
ivorth-western side of the Sea of Galilee, which, from '^K. is 



223 CITIES, ETC. DALMANUTHA EKROK. 

frequently called in tlie Old Testament the Sea 01 
Cinneroth. 

DALMANUTHA — a place on the western side of 
the Sea of Galilee, which must have been near Magdala, 
or, perhaps, included in its territory, as St. Mark says 
that Christ embarked with his disciples on the Lake of 
Tiberias, and came to " the parts of Dalmanutha/^ 
(Mark viii. 10) ; and St. Matthew says (chap. xv. 39), 
to "the coasts of Magdala.^^ 

DAN. See CiESAREA PHILIPPI 

DIBON, 01' DIBON-GAD— so called from its having 
been rebuilt by the children of Gad (Numb, xxxii. 34); 
a city on the northern bank of the river Arnon, at the 
point where the Israelites crossed it in their journey 
from Egypt to the Land of Canaan, and where they 
made an encampment. 

DOE, or DORA — a city of the tribe of Manasseh, on 
the sea-coast nine miles north of Caesarea. It is at 
present a small village, called Tartoura, having in it 
forty or fifty houses, and about 500 inhabitants. 

DOTHAM — a place about twelve miles north of 
Samaria, where Joseph was sold by his brethren to the 
Ishmaelites : the first instance on record of the traffic 
in human slaves. 

EDBEI — one of the two capital cities of the kingdom 
of Bashan, Ashtaroth being the other. It is supposed to 
have been seated on a branch of the river Hieromax, about 
twenty miles east of Abila. Here Og, the gigantic king 
of Bashan, was defeated by the Israelites, and his king- 
dom given to the half-tribe of Manasseh. (Dent. iii. ] .) 

EKBON — the most northern of the five cities or lord- 
ships of the Philistines, situated on the Mediterranean 
coast, not far from Jamnia. It was allotted to the tribe 



CITIES, ETC 



•EMMAUS ENDOR. 



223 



of Judali (Josh. xv. 45), but afterwards transferred to 
Dan ; though it does not appear that either tribe was 
ever peaceably in possession of it. The Ekronites, suf- 
fering from the presence of the ark, which had been 
taken by them at Ebenezer, called the lords of the 
Philistines together, and advised its being sent back, 
which was accordingly done. The ark was placed on a 
cart drawn by two milch-kine, which conveyed it to Beth- 
Shemesh. (1 Sam. vi.) This city was celebrated for 
the worship of Baal-Zebub (the god of flies )j who is 
hence termed the God of Ekron. (2 Kings i. 2.) 
Ekron, by the Greeks called Accaron, was at one time 
a considerable town. 

EMMAUS — a small village, about seven or eight 
miles north-west from Jerusalem ; towards which two of 
the disciples were travelling in the evening of the day 
on which our Lord rose from the dead, when Jesus in 
disguise joined himself with them, and held the me- 
morable conversation recorded by St. Luke (ch. xxiv. 
13). Besides this, there was another Emmaus or 
Ammaus, near Tiberias, famous for its hot baths, which 
are still used. 

ENDOR — a city in the half-tribe of Manasseh, west 
of Jordan, whither Saul resorted to consult a woman 
that had a familiar spirit (1 Sam. xxviii. 7) ; one of the 
most extraordinary incidents recorded in the Bible, and 
which has called forth a variety of opinion. 

Mr. Bryant, with his usual acuteness, derives En-doi 
from En-Ador, signifying fons pythonis, the fountain 
of light,-'^ or oracle of the god Ador ; which oracle was 
probably founded by the Canaanites, and had been never 
entirely suppressed. The ancient world had many such 
oracles : the most famous of which were that of Jupiter- 
Ammon in Lybia, and that of Delphi in Greece j and 

all of them, the answers to those who consulted them 



224 CITIES, ETC. ENGEDI EPHRAIM. 

were given from the mouth of a female ; who, from the 
priestess of Apollo at Delphi, has generally received the 
name of Pythia. That many such oracles existed iu 
Canaan, is evident from the number which Saul himself 
is said to have suppressed ; and such an one, with its 
Pythia, was this at Endor. At these shrines, either as 
mock oracles, contrived by a crafty and avaricious priest- 
hood, to impose on the credulity and superstition of its 
followers, or as the real instruments of infernal power, 
mankind, having altogether departed from the true God, 
were permitted to be deluded. The reality of the fact 
here recorded ; that it was no trick or deception ; as well 
as that it was Samuel himself, whom Saul beheld, admits 
of no donbt. It is evident, both from the affright of the 
woman herself, and from the fulfilment of the prediction, 
that on the morrow,^^ Saul and his sons should die. 
It was an instance of God^s overruling the wickedness 
of men, to manifest his own supremacy and justice. 

ENGEDI— a city of the tribe of Judah, in a hilly 
country, about thirty miles south-east from Jerusalem, 
not far from the Dead Sea. It was originally called 
Hazazon-Tamar (the city of palm-trees)^ from the abun- 
dance of its palm-trees. (Gen. xiv. 7; 2 Chron. xx. 2.) 
To the strong holds in the neighbourhood of this 
place David fled from Saul ; and here he gave that evil- 
minded monarch the memorable proof of his loyalty 
mentioned in 1 Sam. xxiv. 4. The spot where this 
transaction took place, was a cavern in the rock, 
sufliciently large to contain in its recesses David's 600 
men, unperceived by Saul.* 

EPHRAIM — a city of the tribe of Benjamin, eight 
miles north of Jerusalem, whither Jesus retired, after 
raising Lazarus from the dead, to avoid the malice of the 

* There are many such caverns in the rocks and mountains of Judsea ; 
some of which are very capacious The Cave of Adullam afforded au 



CITIES, ETC. GADAKA. 225 

chief Priests and Pharisees. (John xi.) EPHRATH, or 
EPHRATA. See BETHLEHEM. 

GADARA — a city which gave name to the country 

the Gadarenes, situated on a steep rocky hill near the 
fiver Hieromax, or Yermuck, about five miles from its 
junction with the Jordan. It was formerly a place of con- 
siderable note, being the metropolis of Persea. Remains 
of the warm baths, for which this place was anciently cele- 
brated/ and also of the tombs among which the Gadarene 
demoniac abode, are still to be seen. 

" The account given of the liabitation of the demoniac, 
from whom the legion of devils was cast out," says Mr. 
Buckingham, struck us very forcibly while we were our- 
selves wandering among rugged mountains, and sur- 
rounded by tombs, still used as dwellings by individuals 
and whole families of those residing here. A finer subject 
for a masterly expression of the passions of madness in all 
their violence, contrasted with the serenity of virtue and 
benevolence in Him who went about doing good, could 
hardly be chosen for the pencil of an artist ; and a faith- 
ful delineation of the rugged and wild majesty of the 
mountain- scenery here, on the one hand, with the still 
calm of the waters of the lake, on the other, would give 
an additional charm to the picture.''^ 

The country of Gadara, or of the Gadarenes, was like- 
wise called that of the Gergesenes, from Gergesa, another 
considerable city in the same neighbourhood. Thus, in 

asylum to David and 400 men. (1 Sam. xxii. 1, 2.) Mr. Har^^l^y has 
described a similar cavern, capable of holding 1000 men, into which 
the Greeks fled, and found a secure retreat from their Mohammedan 
enemies. Mr. Carne, who visited the cave of Engedi, says *' At first, 
it appears neither lofty nor spacious ; but alow passage on the left leads 
into apartments, where a party could easily remain concealed from those 
without. The face of the hill around it corresponds to the description, 
— ♦ he came to the rocks of the wild goats.* " (1 Sam. xxiv. 2. ) 

2 G 



226 



CITIES^ ETC. GATH. 



the relation of our Lord^s miracle, the former term is 
employed by Mark, (ch. v. 1,) and the latter by Matthew, 
(ch. viii. 28.) Gadara was oue of the ten cities of the De- 
capolis, the ruins of which were discovered by Burckhardt. 

GATH — one of the five principal cities of the Philis- 
tines, fourteen miles south of Joppa, eight from Ekron, 
and thirty-two west from Jerusalem. Gath was the 
birth-place of Goliath, on whose defeat and death it was 
taken by David. It was rebuilt by Rehoboam; (2 Chron. 
xi. 8 ;) conquered and demolished by Uzziah ; (2 Chron. 
xxvi. 6 j) and again by Hezekiah, together with the rest 
of Philistia. (2 Kings xviii. 8.) Nothing of Gath now 
remains, and even its ancient position is become matter of 
dispute. Mr. Horne, after Calmet and others, makes 
Gath the most southern of the five Philistine cities, 
although in his map it is placed as above. For this 
deviation from its true position, is adduced the authority 
of 1 Sam. vii. 14, and xvii. 62 ; the phrase " from Ekron 
even unto Gath,^' and that of " even unto Gath and 
Ekron,^^ are supposed to denote the whole extent of the 
country from north to south. The former of these pas- 
sages refers to the cities taken from the Israelites, which 
were restored to them, from Ekron to Gath, that is, in 
the northern and eastern parts of Philistia bordering on 
Judaea ; but which could not mean the whole country, 
which the Israelites never possessed. In the latter, the 
flight of the Philistines is described, and the slaughter 
ade of them, in the direction of Gath and Ekron, their 
wo nearest fortified cities, to which they would naturally 
y for safety. To suppose Gath to be in the extreme 
outh of Philistia, is to carry the pursuit and slaughter 
over a distance of at least fifty miles. If we place Gath 
a little to the south-east of where it commonly stands 
in the maps, it will be exactly in the position of the 
town of the same name mentioned by Jerome, in the road 



CITIES^ ETC. GATH-HEPHER GAZA. 22/ 



from Eleutheropolis to Gaza; wHcliwas^ in all probability, 
near to^ if not in the precise situation of ancient Gath. 

GATH-HEPHER— the birth-place of the prophet 
Jonah, situated, according to Jerome, in Galilee, not 
far from Tiberias. 

GAULON. See GOLAN. 

GAZA, or AZZAH — a city situated at the extreme 
south-western angle of Judsea, towards Egypt, sixty 
miles from Jerusalem. This was one of the five great 
cities of the Phihstines, whose gates Samson carried 
away, and where he pulled down the house of Dagon on 
the lords of the Philistines. It was destroyed by Alex- 
ander Janneus, king of the J ews, ninety-eight years b.c, 
agreeably to the prediction of Zephaniah; (ch. ii. 4;) 
and, according to Strabo, continued forsaken in his 
time. The ruins of old Gaza are alluded to in Acts 
viii. 26, under the name of " Gaza which is desert J' 
The city built by Constantine, and called by him Con- 
stantia, is nearer to the sea than the old city. The 
remains of ancient Gaza, consisting of scattered pillars 
of grey granite, and fragments of old marble columns 
and statues, are considerable and numerous. The 
hill on which the city stands is about two miles in 
circumference at the base, and appears to have been 
wholly enclosed within the ancient fortifications. The 
town being surrounded by, and interspersed with, gar- 
dens and plantations of olive and date trees, has an 
agreeable appearance, aided by its numerous minarets 
raising their elegant forms from amid the trees ; and, 
as the buildings are mostly of stone, and the streets 
moderately broad, the interior is superior to many of 
the Syrian cities. The inhabitants amount to between 
2000 and 3000. They have manufactories of cotton and 
soap, but derive their chief commerce from the caravans 
of Egypt and Syria, which must all pass that way , 



228 CITIES, ETC. GERAR^ — GIBEON. 

GEEAR — a city of tlie PMlistiiies, not far from 
Gaza. It appears to have been at one time tlie 
metropolis of Philistia, but lost tHs honour on the 
subdivision of the land into five lesser kingdoms, or 
lordships. 

GEEASA, or GERGESA. See GADAEA. 

GEZEE — a city of the Canaanites, situated between 
Bethoron and the sea- coast, four miles north of Nico- 
polis, or Emmaus. The Canaanites remained in pos- 
session of this city till the time of Solomon; when 
Pharaoh, king of Egypt, took it, slew the inhabitants, 
and gave it as a present to his daughter, the wife of 
Solomon, who rebuilt it, together with Bethoron the 
Nether. (1 Kings ix. 16.) 

GIBBETHON— a city of the Phihstines, which was 
allotted to the tribe of Dan; (Josh. xix. 44;) but it 
does not appear that they ever took possession of it, 
as we find it still in the hands of the Philistines, and 
sustaining a long siege during the reigns of Baasha, 
Elah, and Omri, kings of Israel. (1 Kings xvi. 15.) 

GIBE AH — a city of the tribe of Benjamin, situated, 
according to Josephus, between twenty and thirty 
furlongs north of Jerusalem. This was the native 
place, and afterwards the royal residence of Saul; 
hence called " Gibeah of Saul.'' (Isa. x. 29.) 

GIBEON — the capital city of the Gibeonites, having 
three other cities subject to it, \dz., Chephirah, Beeroth, 
and Kirjath-jearim. (Josh. ix. 17.) The inhabitants 
of this place, for the deception they practised upon 
Joshua, were reduced to a state of perpetual vassalage, 
being made " hewers of wood and di^awers of water'' 
for the house of God, in which servile capacity they 
ever after remained as a distinct people. (Josh, ix.) 
Here the sun stood still at the command of Joshua; 
(ch. X. 12;) and here, for a considerable period, stood 



CITIES^ ETC. GILEAD GILGAL. 



229 



the Tabernacle and altar of burnt-offering. (I Chron. 
xxi. 29, 30. 1 Kings iii. 3, 4.) 

GILEAD, or GALEED {the heap of testimony)— 
district on the east of Jordan, so called from the heap 
of stones set np there by Jacob and Labau, to com- 
memorate the covenant made between them. It was 
also called Mizpah, that is, the beacon, or watch-tower ; 
"for,'^ said Laban, '^^the Lord watch between me and 
thee, w^hen we are absent from one another. If thou 
shalt afflict my daughters, &c., see, God is witness be- 
twixt me and thee.''^ (Gen. xxxi. 49.) Gilead consti- 
tuted the southern part of the ancient kingdom of 
Bashan, and was divided between the tribe of Gad and 
the half-tribe of Manasseh. This province produced a 
celebrated balsam, called the " Balm of Gilead.^' This 
was a liquid resin, extracted by incision from the 
Amyris Gileadensis ; and, owing to its scarceness and 
extraordinary qualities, formed a valuable present, even 
to princes. Some idea of the great value of this ex- 
tract may be formed from the following facts : — When 
Alexander was in Judaea, a spoonful was all that could 
be collected in a summer^s day; and in a plentiful 
year, the great royal park of these trees yielded only 
six gallons, and the smaller one only one gallon. It 
was, consequently, so dear that it sold for double its 
weight in silver.* Vespasian and Titus carried each 
one of the plants which produced it to Home as a 
rarity; and Pompey boasted of bearing them in his 
triumph. This celebrated plant has ceased to be cul- 
tivated in Judaea : there is literally " no balm in 
Gilead.^^ 

GIL GAL [a rolling, or a circle) — the place where the 
Israelites encamped after passing the Jordan, and so 
called from the renewal of circumcision, which had 

* Pliny's ^vlat. Hist- c. 25. 



230 CITIES.. ETC. — GOMORRAH HAROSHETH. 

been suspended since their departure from Egypt. 
Upon this occasion, The Lord said unto Joshua, This 
day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off 
you : wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal 
unto this day/'' (Josh. v. 2 — ^9.) Here also Joshua set 
up the twelve stones which were taken out of Jordan 
by one man of every tribe, as a memorial of the mira- 
culous recession of the waters. These stones (as the 
name of the place denotes) were probably ranged in a 
circle, similar to the Druidieal circles of ancient Britain, 
which may thus be traced up to the patriarchal age, 
and the immemorial usages of the East. Here the 
Israelites celebrated the passover; and on the follow- 
ing day they ate the corn of the land; on the same 
day, the manna ceased to fall. (Josh. v. 10.) 

Here also Saul was anointed king, and, afterwards, 
Ms ejection intimated, and Agag, king of the Amalek- 
ites, hewn in pieces before him. (1 Sam. xv. 20 — 33.) 
Gilgal lay in a straight line between Jordan and the 
city of Jericho, from which it was distant about one 
mile. 

GOMOREAH — one of the Pentapolis, or five cities 
of the Plain, which for its wickedness was destroyed by 
fire. See DEAD SEA. 

HAPOSHETH — a city supposed to have been situ- 
ated near Hazor, in the northern part of the Land of 
Canaan, in the district afterwards called Upper Galilee. 
Erom its containing in its population fewer Jews than 
most other cities of Palestine, and being in the vicinity 
of Tyre and Sidon, the great resorts of foreign nations, 
it was usually styled "Harosheth of the Gentiles." 
This is said to have been the residence of Sisera, the 
general of the armies of Jabin, the Canaanitish kiug, 
who reigned at Hazor. 



CITIES^ ETC. HAZOR HEBRON. 231 

HAZOR — a city near the Lake Merom_, the seat of 
J abin, a powerful Canaanitish king, who was defeated 
and slain by J oshua_, and his city burnt to the ground. 
(Josh. xi. 10.) The city having been rebuilt, and ano- 
ther king appointed, who assumed the ancient royal name 
of Jabin, his army was destroyed by Barak, and Sisera, 
his general, slain by the stratagem of Jael. (Judg. iv.) 

HEBPtON, or CHEBRON— a city situated in the 
very heart of the hill country of Judsea, about twenty 
miles south from Jerusalem, and twenty miles north 
from Beersheba. This was probably one of the most 
ancient cities in the world, as it is said by Moses to have 
been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt, the ancient 
capital of the Pharaohs. It was anciently called Kirjath- 
Arba, or the city of Arba, the father of Anak, from whom 
came the gigantic race of Anakims. (Josh. xiv. 15,) 

It is supposed, by Dr. Prideaux, to have derived the 
name of Hebron from one of the sons of Caleb, (Josh, 
xiv. 13,) who captured the city, and expelled the Anak- 
ims • but Calmet is of opinion that the name of Hebron 
is more ancient ; and that Caleb, to do honour to his 
son, named him after this ancient and celebrated place. 

After the death of Saul, David made this his resi- 
dence, and held his court here for seven years, until 
he took Jerusalem. Hebron is also celebrated as the 
burying-place of Abraham, who purchased the cave of 
Machpelah, in the adjoining plain of Mamre, for this 
purpose ; wherein he himself was buried, as were also 
Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Eebekah, and Leah. While the 
country lay unoccupied, during the Babylonish capti- 
vity, the Edomites invaded the south of Judaea, and 
took Hebron, which thenceforth became the capital of 
a district called Idumsea. This was one of the six cities 
of refuge, and the birth-place of John the Baptist. 
(Luke i. 39.) In the writings of Moses, it is sometimes 



232 



CITIES, ETC. — HEBRON. 



called Mamre, (Gen. xxiii. 19; xxxv. 27.) The pre- 
sent callage, called Habrouu or El Hhalil, is not of large 
dimensions, though rather thickly populated. Accord- 
ing to Ali Bey, it contains about 400 families of Arabs, 
besides many Jews and Turks. The most remarkab) 
building is the mosque which covers the reputed tombs 
of the patriarchs. Ali Bey, who visited it in 1307, gives 
the following description of it : — 

^^The sepulchres of Abraham and of his family are 
in a temple that was formerly a Greek church. The 
ascent to it is by a large and fine staircase, that leads 
to a long gallery;, the entrance to which is by a small 
court. Towards the left is a portico, resting upon 
square pillars.''' The lower part of the outer wall," Cap- 
tain Mangles states, is evidently antique, being built of 
great stones, some of them upwards of twenty-five feet 
in length. "It has sixteen pilasters on each side, and 
eight on either end, without capitals, excepting a sort 
of ornamental summit, which extends along the whole 
building, and is a species of cornice : above this is a 
continuation of modern masonry.^'' The approach to 
the entrance is by a long flight of steps, which connect 
the edifice with other ruined buildings. 

" The vestibule of the temple contains two rooms ; the 
one to the right contains the sepulchre of Abraham, and 
the other, to the left, that of Sarah. (?) In the body of 
the church, which is Gothic, between two large pillars on 
the right, is seen a small house, in which is the sepulchre 
of Isaac ; and in a similar one, upon the left, is that of 
his wife. The church, which has been converted into a 
mosque, has a meherel, the tribune for the preacher on 
Fridays, and another tribune for the mueddens, or singers. 
On the other side of the court is another vestibule, which 
has also a room on each side. In that upon the left is 
the sepulchre of Jacob, and in that upon the right, that 



CITIES^ ETC. HESHBON. 233 

of his wife. At tlie extremity of tlie portico of the temple, 
upon the right_, is a door which leads to a sort of long 
gallery, that still serves as a mosque. From thence I 
passed into another room, in which is the sepulchre of 
Joseph, who died in Egypt, and whose ashes were 
brought hither by the people of Israel. All the sepul- 
chres of the patriarchs are covered with rich carpets of 
green silk, magnificently embroidered with gold : those 
of their wives are red, embroidered in like manner. The 
sultans of Constantinople furnish these carpets, which 
are renewed from time to time. I counted nine, one 
over the other, upon the sepulchre of Abraham. The 
rooms also which contain the tombs are covered with 
rich carpets. The entrance to them is guarded by iron 
gates, and wooden doors plated with silver, with 
bolts and padlocks of the same metaL There are 
reckoned to be more than 100 persons employed in the 
service of the temple ; it is consequently easy to imagine 
how many alms must be paid."* 

How far this splendid mausoleum corresponds to the 
cave of Machpelah, the reader will judge. 

HESHBON — the capital city of the Amorites, and 
the residence of Sihon, their king, who ''^ reigned in 
Heshbon." (Josh. xiii. 10.) It was taken by Moses ; 
(Numb. xxi. 23;) and afterwards became a Levitical 
city, and belonged to the tribe of Reuben. 

After the ten tribes were carried into captivity, it was 
taken by the Moabites ; hence the frequent mention of it 
both by Isaiah and Jeremiah, in their prophecies against 
Moab. (Isaiah xv. 4. Jer. xlviii. 2, 34, 45.) Heshbon 
was situated in the hilly country, about twenty miles east 
of the Jordan, nearly midway between the Arnon and 
Jabbok. It was a large and flourishing city in the days 

* Conder's Palestine, pp. 197, 198. 

2 H 



334 CITIESj ETC. JABESH JAMNIA. 

of Eusebius^ and was then known under tlie name of 
Esbus. It is now called Hesbon. 

JABESH, or JABESH GILEAD— a city situated at 
the foot of the mountain-range of Gilead, in the half-tribe 
of Manasseh, east of Jordan, and, according to Eusebius, 
about six miles from Pella, towards Gerasa. All the in- 
habitants of this place, with the exception of 400 virgins, 
were put to death, for not uniting with the other tribes in 
the punishment of Benjamin. (Judg. xxi. 8.) In the 
reign of Saul, this city sustained a formidable siege from 
Nahash, king of the Ammonites. Being hard pressed, 
the inhabitants wished to capitulate, but could obtain no 
terms except the hard one of having then right eyes put 
out, " as a reproach to Israel f seven days being allowed 
them to decide. But, during this interval, Saul, having 
been informed of their distressing situation, hastened to 
their rehef, mth an army of 300,000, defeated the Am- 
monites, and rescued the men of J abesh from their igno- 
minious fate. (1 Sam. xi.) In grateful remembrance of 
this service, the men of Jabesh, about forty years after, at 
the peril of their lives, carried off the bodies of Saul and 
his sons, which had been nailed by the Philistines to the 
wall of Bethshan, and gave them an honourable inter- 
ment. (1 Sam. xxxi. 8 — 13.) 

JAHAZ — a city of the Amorites, east of Jordan. It 
lay in, or near, the wilderness of Kedemoth, and not far 
from Medeba. Here Sihon, king of Heshbon, coming 
to prevent the Israelites from passing through his terri- 
tories, was routed and destroyed. (Numb. xxi. 23.) It 
afterwards belonged to the tribe of Reuben. 

JAMNIA — a city of Palestine, situated near the 
coast, between Ashdod and Joppa. In the early ages 
of Christianity, it was an Episcopal See, and had also a 
famous J evrish University. It occurs in the histories of 
the Crusades under the name of Iblin; but is now 
called Jebna, or Yebna. 



CITIES, ETC. 



-JAPHO JERICHO. 



235 



JAPHO. See JOPPA. 

JAZEB. — a city situated on a lake of the same name, 
east of Jordan. Eusebius and Jerome state that it was 
ten miles west of Philadelphia, or Rabbath-Ammon, and 
fifteen from Heshbon. It belonged to the tribe of Gad, 
(Josh. xiii. 25,) and was given by them to the Levites. 
(Josh. xxi. 39.) 

JERICHO — the first city taken by the Israelites after 
passing the Jordan. The capture of tnis place was alto- 
gether miraculous. " It came to pass, that seven priests, 
bearing seven trumpets of rams^ horns, passed on before 
the Lord, and blew with the trumpets ; and the ark of the 
covenant of the Lord followed them.^^ On the seventh 
day, it came to pass, when the people heard the sound 
of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, 
that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up 
into the city, every man straight before him, and they 
took the city.^^ (Josh, vi.) Having utterly destroyed the 
city, Joshua pronounced the following malediction on the 
man who should rebuild it : — " Cursed be the man before 
the Lord, that riseth up and buildeth this city J ericho : 
he shall lay the foundation thereof in his first-born, and 
in his youngest son, shall he set up the gates of it. (v. 26.) 
This prediction was literally accompHshed 534 years after^ 
In the days of Ahab, king of Israel, " Hiel the Beth elite 
did build Jericho ; and he laid the foundation thereof in 
Abiram his first-born, and set up the gates thereof in his 
youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord, 
which he spake by Joshua, the son of Nun.-'^ (1 Kings 
xvi. 34.) The situation" of this city is said to have 
been " pleasant," but " the water naught, and the ground 
barren;" (2 Kings ii. 19;) until Elisha, at the entreaty 
of the inhabitants, " healed the water," and rendered it 
wholesome and abundant. The new city was honoured 
by a school of the prophets. (2 Kings ii. 5.) It is some- 



236 



ClTlESj ETC.— JERICHO. 



times called in Scri]iture " the city of palm-trees/^ from 
the abundance of those trees in its vicinity; and was 
celebrated for the growti^ " a precious balsam^ similar to 
that of Gilead. This tree/- says Fliny, which was 
peculiar to Juria, or the- vale of Jericho, was more like a 
vine than a myrtle." And Justin observes : — " The 
wealth of the Jewish nation did arise from the opobalsa- 
munij which doth grow only in those countries ; for it is 
a valley like a garden which is environed with continual 
hills, and, as it were, enclosed with a wall. The space of 
the valley containeth 200,000 acres, and it is called 
Jericho. In that valley there is a wood, as admirable for 
its fruitfulness as for its delight ; for it is intermingled 
with palm-trees and opobalsamum. The trees of the 
opobalsamum bear a resemblance to fir-trees ; but they are 
lower, and are planted and husbanded after the manner of 
vines. On a set season of the year, they do sweat 
balsam .^^ 

Mr. Buckingham says : — " At the present time, there 
is not a tree of any description, either of palm or balsam, 
and scarcely any verdure or bushes to be seen about the 
site of this abandoned city." The same writer describes 
the modern village of Jericho as a settlement of about 
fifty dwellings, all very mean in their appearance, and 
fenced in front with thorny bushes, while a barrier of the 
same kind (the most efiectual that could be raised against 
mounted Arabs) encircles the town. The population is 
entirely Mohammedan, and is governed by a sheikh ^ their 
habits are those of Bedouins, and robbery and |imnder 
form their chief and most gainful occupation. They call 
the place Rihhah, which signifies in Arabic Odour; and 
it is from the near correspondence of this name, both in 
sound and signification, to the Hebrew word Eahab, (the 
name of the harlot who entertained the spies sent by 
Joshua,) that it has been fixed upon as the site of ancient 



CITIES^ ETC. JERICHO. 237 

J ericho ; and it is so represented by most authorities. 
This opinion,, however, is evidently erroneous. The true 
site of ancient Jericho may be proved to be about four 
miles higher up the valley, on the west of Kihhah, and 
nearer to Jerusalem. Here Mr. Buckingham found a 
large square area, enclosed by long and regular mounds, 
uniform in their height, breadth, and angle of slope, 
which seemed to mark the course of enclosing walls, now 
worn into mounds. Besides which, there were the foun- 
dations of other walls in detached pieces, portions of 
ruined buildings of an indefinable nature, several large 
tumuli; shafts of columns, and a capital of the Corin- 
thian order, &c., lying promiscuously about. These 
remains, together with the absence of anything of the 
kind at Rihhah, furnish strong presumptive proof that 
this is the true site of ancient Jericho. 

But, to remove all doubt, the relative position of this 
spot exactly agrees with that assigned by Josephus to the 
" city of palms f while that of Eihhah differs from it 
widely. He places Jericho at 150 furlongs from Jeru- 
salem, and sixty from the Jordan. Now Rihhah is not 
more than three miles from the Jordan ; whereas the ruins 
discovered by Mr. Buckingham are at least seven, which 
comes as nearly as possible to the sixty furlongs of Jose- 
phus. The same accurate historian has given another 
mark by which to determine the position of this city. 

It is situated,^^ says he, " in a plain ; but a naked and 
barren mountain of a very great length hangs over it, which 
extends itself to about Scythopolis northward, but as far 
as the country of Sodom and the utmost limit of the 
Lake Asphaltites southward. This mountain is all of it 
very uneven and uninhabited, by reason of its barren- 
ness.^'* "Nothing," says Mr. Buckingham, "can more 



♦ Wars, book iv- 



238 CITIES^ ETC. JERUSALEM. 

accurately apply, in all its particulars, than this description 
does, to the site of the present mins, assumed here as the 
site of ancient Jericho ; whether it be in its local position- 
its boundaries, or its distance from Jerusalem on the ont 
hand, and from the Jordan on the other. The spot lies at 
the very foot of the barren hills of Judsea, which may be 
said literally to overhang it on the west ; and these moun- 
tains are still as barren, as rugged, and as destitute of 
inhabitants, as formerly, throughout their whole range, 
from the Lake of Tiberias to the Dead Sea.''' According 
to Eusebius, the city built by Hiel, and which is mentioned 
in the Gospel history in connexion with the ministry of 
our Lord, was destroyed by the Romans, during the siege 
of Jerusalem ; and the city standing in his time was a 
third city, erected subsequent to the Jewish war, and 
occupying a position different from either of the others ; 
for he states, that the ruins of the two former were still 
shown. It is, in all probability, on the site of this latter 
city that the village of Rihhah now stands ; its name may 
have been derived from the balsamum and other odoriferous 
shrubs that formerly grew in its vicinity. For a description 
of the surrounding scenery, see Valley of Jericho. 

JERUSALEM. 

This celebrated city, around which cluster so many 
sublime and affecting reminiscences, is supposed to 
have been founded by Melchisedek, about the year of 
the world 2023, who gave it the name of Salem, that 
is, Peace. The first erection only occupied the two 
hills of Acra and Moriah. It was afterwards taken by 
the Jebusites, the descendants of Jebus, a son of 
Canaan ; who erected a fortress on Mount Zion, which 
they called J ebus : the whole city bearing, at the same 
time, the common appellation of Jerusalem, which 



CITIES^ ETC. JERUSALEM. 



239 



signifies the vision or inheritance of peace. Adoni-zedeC; 
king of the Jebusites, and many of his people,, were 
slain by Joshua ; (Josh, x ;) but it does not appear that 
he took their city. Shortly after his dea,th, however^ it 
was taken and burnt by the men of Judah. (Judg. i. 

8. ) By this must oe understood the lower city for it 
is immediately added, that the Benjamites, to whom it 
was allotted, did not drive out the Jebusites that 
inhabited Jerusalem." They retained possession of the 
upper town, or citadel of Jebus, till the time of David, 
400 years after. By that monarch the remnant of the 
Canaanites were driven out ; he also repaired and beau- 
tified the old city, and built a new one on Mount Zion. 
on the site of the fort of Jebus ; whence Jerusalem is 
sometimes styled the " City of David." (2 Sam. v. 7, 

9. 1 Chron. xi. 5, 7.) 

During the reigas of David and Solomon, Jerusalem 
attained the zenith of its glory. It was the metropohs 
of the whole Jewish nation, the centre of civil and 
ecclesiastical power, and was resorted to at the festivals 
by the entire population of the country. The political 
influence acquired by David, together with the liberal 
policy and enterprising spirit of Solomon, had centered 
in it most of the Eastern trade, both by sea, through 
the ports of Elath and Ezion-geber, and overland, by 
way of Tadmor or Palmyra. Some idea may be formed 
of the enormous wealth of Jerusalem at this period, 
when it is stated, that the quantity of gold left by David 
for the use of the Temple amounted to j821,600,000 
sterling; besides £3,150,000 in silver, and Solomon 
obtained £3;240,000 in gold by one voyage to Ophir, 
while silver was so abimdant, that " it was not anything 
accounted of." 

Solomon surrounded the city with a wall, and added 
to its splendour by several magnificent and costly 



24C 



CITIES^ ETC. JERUSALEM. 



erections. The most celebrated of these, and one 
which requires particular notice, was 

THE TEMPLE. 

The design of building a house for the Lord God was 
conceived by David^, who made extensive preparations 
for the work ; but " The word of the Lord came unto 
him, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast 
made great wars : thou shalt not build a house unto my 
name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the 
earth in my sight. Behold, a son shall be born to thee, 
who shaU be a man of rest, and I will give him rest 
from all his enemies round about ; for his name shall 
be Solomon, (that is, peaceable,) and I will give peace and 
quietness unto Israel in his days. He shall build a 
house for my name.-'^ (1 Cln'on. xxii. 8 — 10; xvii. 1.) 

Accordingly, the royal architect, having sufficiently 
added to the materials provided by his father, com- 
menced the work. 

" The eminence of Moriah, the Mount of Vision, i. e., 
the height seen afar from the adjacent country, which tra- 
dition pointed out as the spot where Abraham had offered 
his son, (where recently the plague had been stayed by 
the altar built in the threshing-floor of Oman, or Araunab^ 
the Jebusite,) rose on the east side of the city. Its 
rugged top was. .^-v^x^^u. with immense labour its sides, 
which to the east and south were precipitous, were faced 
with a wall of stone, built up perpendicularly from the 
bottom of the valley, so as to appear to those who looked 
down of most terrific height , a work of prodigious skiU 
and labour, as the immense stones were strongly mortised 
together and wedged into the rock. Around the whole 
area, or esplanade, an irregular quadi'angle, was a sohd 
wall of considerable height and strength. Within this, was 



CITIES, ETC 



■JERUSALEM. 



241 



an open covjdj into wliicli tlie Gentiles were eitlier from 
the first;, or subsequently, admitted. A second wall 
encompassed anotlier quadrangle, called tlie court of 
tlie Israelites. Along tliis wall, on the inside, ran a 
portico or cloister, over which were chambers for dif- 
ferent sacred purposes. Within this, again, another, 
probably a lower wall, separated the court of the 
priests from that of the Israelites. To each court the 
ascent was by steps, so that the platform of the inner 
court was on a higher level than that of the outer. 
The temple itself was rather a monument of the 
wealth, than the architectural skill and science of the 
people. It was a wonder of the world, from the 
splendour of its materials, more than the grace, bold- 
ness, or majesty of its height and dimensions. It had 
neither the colossal magnitude of the Egyptian, the 
simple dignity and perfect proportional harmony of the 
Grecian, nor perhaps the fantastic grace and lightness 
of modern Oriental architecture. The temple, on the 
whole, was an enlargement of the tabernacle, built of 
more costly and durable materials. Like its model, it 
retained the ground plan and disposition of the Egypt- 
ian, or rather of almost all the sacred edifices of an- 
tiquity j even its measurements are singularly in unison - 
with some of the most ancient temples in Upper Egypt. 
It consisted of a propylseon, a temple, and a sanctuary ; 
called respectively the porch, the holy place, and the 
holy of hoHes. Yet in some respects, if the measure- 
ments are correct, the temple must have resembled the 
form of a simple Gothic church. In the front, to 
the east, stood the porch, a tall tower, rising to the 
height of 210 feet. Either within, or, like the Egyptian 
obelisks, before the porch, stood two piUars of brass ; by 
one account, twenty-seven, by another, above sixty feet 
high ; thelatter statement probablyincludingtheir capitals 

2i 



342 



CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. 



and bases. These were called Jachin and Boaz, [durahility 
and strength.) The capitals of these were of the richest 
workmanship, with net-work, chain-work, and pome- 
granates. The porch was the same width as the temple, 
thirty-five feet ; its depth, seventeen and a half. The 
length of the main building, including the holy place, 
seventy feet, and the holy of holies, thirty-five, was in the 
whole, 105 feet the height, fifty-two and a half feet. 
Josephus carries the whole building up to the height of 
the porch ; but this is out of all credible proportion, 
making the height twice the length, and six times the 
width. Along each side, and perhaps at the back of the 
main building, ran an aisle, divided into three stories of 
small chambers; the wall of the temple being thicker 
at the bottom, left a rest to support the beams of these 
chambers, which were not let into the wall. These aisles, 
the chambers of which were appropriated as vestiaries, 
treasuries, and for other sacred purposes, seem to have 
reached about half way up the main wall of what we may 
call the nave and choir : the windows into the latter were 
probably above them; these were narrow, but widened 
inwards. 

If the dimensions of the temple appear by no means 
imposing, it must be remembered, that but a small part 
of the religious ceremonies took place within the walls. 
The holy of holies was entered but once a year, and that 
by the high-priest alone. It was the secret and un- 
approachable shrine of the Deity. The holy place, the 
body of the temple, admitted only the officiating priests. 
The open court, called in popular language the temple, or 
rather the inner quadrangle, was in fact the great place of 
Divine worship. Here, under the open air, were cele- 
brated the great pubhc and national rites, the processions, 
the offerings, the sacrifices; here stood the great tank 
for ablution, and the high altar for burnt-offerings. 



CITIES; ETC. JERUSALEM. 



243 



But the costliness of tlie materials^ the ricliness and 
variety of tlie details^ amply compensated for the mode- 
rate dimensions of the bnilding. It was such a sacred 
edifice as a ti'aveller might have expected to find in El 
Dorado. The walls were of hewn stone, faced within 
with cedai'_, which was richly carved with knops and 
flowers ; the ceiling was of fii'-ti'ee. But in every part 
gold was lavished with the ntmost profusion ; within 
and without, the floor, the walls, the ceiling, in short, 
the whole house is described as overlaid with gold. The 
finest and purest, that of Paiwaim, by some supposed to 
be Ceylon, was reserved for the sanctuary. Here the 
cherubim, which stood upon the covering of the ark, 
with their wings touching each wall, were entii^ely 
covered with gold. The sumptuous veil, of the richest 
materials and brightest colour's, which divided the holy 
of hohes fi'om the holy place, was suspended on chains 
of gold. Cherubim, palm trees, and flowers, the favom-- 
ite ornaments, everywhere covered with gilding, were 
wrought in almost all parts. The altar vdthin the tem- 
ple, and the table of shew-bread, were likewise covered 
with the same precious metal. All the vessels, the 
candlesticks, 500 basons, and all the rest of the sacri- 
ficial and other utensils, were of solid gold. Yet the - 
Hebrew writers seem to dwell with the greatest aston- 
ishment and admiration on the works which were 
founded in brass by Hii'am, a man of J ewish extraction, 
who had learned his art at Tyi^e. Besides the lofty 
piUars above mentioned, there was a great tank, called 
a sea, of molten brass, supported on twelve oxen, thi-ee 
tmmed each way ; this was seventeen and a half feet in 
diameter. There was also a great altai' and ten large 
vessels for ablution, called lavers, standing on bases of 
pedestals, the rims of which were richly ornamented 
with a border, on which were wrought figures of lions, 



244 



CITIES^ ETC. JERUSALEM. 



oxen, and cherubim. The bases below were formed of 
four wheels, like those of a chariot. All the works in 
brass were cast in a place near the Jordan, where the 
soil was of a stiff clay, suited to the purpose. 

For seven years the fabric arose in silence. All the 
timbers, the stones, even of the most enormous size, 
measuring between seventeen and eighteen feet, were 
hewn and fitted, so as to be put together without the 
sound of any tool whatever ; as it has been expressed, 
with great poetical beauty, 

* Like some tall palm the noiseless fabric gre-w.' 

the end of this period, the temple and its courts 
being completed, the solemn dedication took place, with 
the greatest magnificence which the king and the nation 
could display. All the chieftains of the different tribes, 
and all of every order who could be brought together, 
assembled. David had already organized the priesthood 
and the Levites ; assigned to the 38,000 of the latter 
tribe, each his particular office : 24,000 were appointed 
for the common duties, 6000 as officers, 4000 as guards 
and porters, 4000 as singers and musicians. On this great 
occasion, the dedication of the temple, all the tribe of 
Levi, without regard to their courses, the whole priestly 
order of every class, attended. Around the great brazen 
altar, which rose in the court of the priests before 
the door of the temple, stood, in front of the sacri- 
ficers, the whole choir, arrayed in white linen. One 
hundred and twenty of these were trumpeters, the rest 
had cymbals, harps, and psalteries. Solomon himself 
took his place on an elevated scaffold, or raised throne of 
brass. The whole assembled nation crowded the spacious 
courts beyond. The ceremony began with the preparation 
of burnt-offerings, so numerous that they could not be 



CITIES, ETC. — JERUSALEM. 



245 



counted. At an appointed signal, began the more impor- 
tant part of tlie scene, tlie removal of the ark, the installa- 
tion of the God of Israel in his .new and appropriate 
dwelling, to the sound of all the voices and all the instru- 
ments, chaunting some of those splendid odes, the 47th, 
97th, 98th, and 107th Psalms. The ark advanced, born^ 
by the Levites, to the open portals of the temple. 1/ 
can scarcely be doubted that the 24th Psalm, even it 
composed before, was adopted and used on this occasion. 
The singers, as it drew near the gate, broke out in these 
words : — ' Lift up your heads, ye gates, and be ye lift up, 
ye everlasting doors, that the King of glory may come in/ 
It was answered from the other part of the choir, ' WJio is 
the King of glory T When the procession arrived at the 
holy place, the gates flew open ; when it reached the holy 
of holies, the veil was drawn back. The ark took its-place 
under the extended wings of the cherubim, which might 
seem to fold over, and receive it under their protection. 
At that instant all the trumpeters and singers were at once 
to ' make one sound to he heard in praising and thanking the 
Lord ; and when they lifted up their voice, vjith the 
trumpets, and cymbals, and instruments of music, and 
praised the Lord, saying, For he is good, for his mercy en- 
dureth for ever, the house was filled with a cloud, even the^ 
house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to 
minister by reason of the cloud ; for the glory of the Lord 
had filled the house of God/ Thus the Divinity took pos- 
session of his sacred edifice. The king then rose upon the 
brazen scaffold, knelt down, and, spreading his hands to- 
wards heaven, uttered the prayer of consecration. The 
prayer was of unexampled sublimity : while it implored 
the perpetual presence of the Almighty, as the tutelar 
Deity and Sovereign of the Israelites, it recognised his 
spiritual and illimitable nature. ' But will God in very deed 
dwell with men on the earth ? behold, heaven and the hea- 



246 



CITIES; ETC. JERUSALEM. 



ven of heavens cannot contain thee, how much less this house 
which I have built It tlien recapitulated tlie principles 
of the Hebrew theocracy, the dependence of the national 
prosperity and happiness on the national conformity to 
the civil and reHgions laws. As the king concluded in 
these emphatic tones, ^ Now, therefore, arise, Lord God, 
into thy resting-place, thou, and the ark of thy strength : 
let thy priests, O Lord God, be clothed with salvation, and 
thy saints rejoice in goodness ; O Lord God, turn not away 
the face of thine anointed : remember the mercies of David 
thy servant / the cloud, which had rested over the holy 
of hohes, grew brighter and more dazzling ; fire broke 
out and consumed all the sacrifices ; the priests stood 
without, awe-struck by the insupportable splendour ; the 
whole people fell on their faces, and worshipped, and 
praised the Lord, ^for he is good, for his mercy is for ever/ 
Which was the greater, the external magnificence, or the 
moral sublimity of this scene ? Was it the temple, situ- 
ated on its commanding eminence, with all its courts, the 
dazzling splendour of its materials, the innumerable mul- 
^■itudes, the priesthood in theu' gorgeous attire, the king 
A^ith all the insignia of royalty, on his throne of burnished 
brass, the music, the radiant cloud filling the temple, 
the sudden fire flashing upon the altar, the whole nation 
upon their knees? Was it not rather the religious 
grandeur of the hymns and of the prayer : the exalted 
and rational views of the Divine nature, the union of a 
whole people in adoration of the one Great, Incompre- 
hensible, Almighty, Everlasting Creator?'^* 

The following lucid and comprehensive description of 
this noble edifice is given by Mr. Horne, and wiU be 
read with interest : — 

" According to the opinion of some writers, there were 
three temples, viz. the first, erected by Solomon; the 

* Milman's History of the Je>vB, vol i. pp. 236 — 265, 



CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. 



247 



second, by Zerubbabel and Jeshua, the bigb-priest ; and 
tbe third, by Herod a few years before the birth of Christ. 
But this opinion is very properly rejected by the Jews; 
who do not allow the third to be a new temple, but only 
the second temple rebuilt : and this opinion corresponds 
"l^iththe prophecy of Haggai, (ii. 9,) that the glory of this 
Mter house — the temple built by Zerubbabel, should be 
greater than that of the former ; which prediction was 
uttered with reference to the Messiah^s honouring it 
with his presence and ministry. 

The first temple is that which usually bears the name 
of Solomon; the materials for which were provided by 
David before his death, though the edifice was raised by 
his son. It stood on Mount Moriah, an eminence of the 
mountainous ridge in the Scriptures termed Mount Sion, 
(Psa. cxxxii. 13, 14,) which had been purchased of 
Araunah or Ornan the Jebusite. (2 Sam. xxiv. 23, 24. 
1 Chron. xxi. 25.) The plan and whole model of this 
superb structure were formed after that of the tabernacle, 
but of much larger dimensions. It was surrounded, ex- 
cept at the front or east end, by three stories of chambers, 
each five cubits square, which reached to half the height 
of the temple : and the front was ornamented with a 
magnificent portico, which rose to the height of 120 
cubits : so that the form of the whole edifice was not un- 
like that of some ancient churches which have a lofty 
tower in the front, and a low aisle running along each 
side of the building. The utensils for the sacred service 
were the same ; excepting that several of them, as the 
altar, candlestick, &c. were larger, in proportion to the 
more spacious edifice to which they belonged. Seven 
years and six months were occupied in the erection of 
the superb and magnificent temple of Solomon; by 
whom it was dedicated * with peculiar solemnity to the 

* In the year of the world 3001 ; before Christ 999. 



248 



CITIES; ETC 



-JERUSALEM. 



worsllip of the Most Higli, wlio on tliis occasion voucli- 
safed to honour it with the Shechinah^ or visible mani- 
festation of his presence. The prayer of the Hebrew 
monarch on this occasion, is one of the noblest and most 
snblime compositions in the Bible^ exhibiting^ in the 
prophetic spirit of Moses^ the most exalted conceptions 
of the omnipresence of the Deity^ of his superintending 
pro^ddence^ and of his pecuhar protection of the Israel- 
ites from the time of their departure out of Egypt ; and 
imploring pardon and forgiveness for all their sins and 
transgressions in the land^ and during the captivities 
which might ensue.* This edifice retained its pristine 
splendour only thii-ty-three or thirty -four years^ when 
Shishak; king of Egypt,, took Jerusalem^ and carried 
away the treasures of the temx3le;t (1 Kings xiv. 
20j 26. 2 Chron. xii. 9;) and after undergoing subse- 
quent profanations and pillages^ this stupendous build- 
ing was finally plundered and burnt by the Chalda^ans 
imder Nebuchadnezzar, a.m. 3416, or B.C. 584. (2 
Kings XXV. 8—15. 2 Chi'on. xxxvi. 17—20.) 

After the captivity the temple emerged from its ruins, 
being rebuilt by Zerubbabel, J (Ezra i. — vi.) but with vastly 
inferior and diminished glory ; as appears from the tears of 
the aged men who had beheld the former structure in all 
its grandeur. (Ezra iii. 12.) The second temple was pro- 
faned by order of Antiochus Epiphanes ; (a.m. 3837, b.c. 
163 ;) who caused the daily sacrifice to be discontinued, 
and erected the image of Jupiter Olj^mpus on the altar of 
bm-nt-offering. In this condition it continued three years, 
(2 Mace. X. 1 — 8,) when Judas Maccabseus purified and 

* Hales's Chronology, vol. ii. p. 393. 

f In the year of the world 3033 ; beiore Christ 967. 

I Josephus, Ant. Jud. lib. xi. c 4. 



CITIES^ ETC.-- JERUSALEM. 



249 



fepaii'ed it^ and restored the sacrifices and true worship of 
Jehovah, a.m. 3840, B.C. 160. 

Some years before the birth of our Saviour, the repair- 
ing-, or rather gradual rebuilding, of this second temple 
which had become decayed in the lapse of five centuries, 
was undertaken by Herod the Great, who for nine years 
employed 18,000 workmen upon it, and spared no expense 
to render it equal, if not superior, in magnitude, splendour, 
and beauty, to anything among mankind. Josephus calls 
it a work the most admu-able of any that had ever been 
seen or heard of, both for its curious structure and its 
magnitude, and also for the vast wealth expended upon it, 
sa well as for the universal reputation of its sanctity.* 
But though Herod accomplished his original design in the 
time above specified, yet the Jews continued to ornament 
and enlarge it, expending the sacred treasure in annexing 
additional buildings to it : so that they might with great 
propriety assert that their temple had been forty and six 
years in building. (John ii. 20.) There is, therefore, no 
real contradiction between the sacred writer and Josephus. 
The words of the Evangehst are, ' Forty and six years was 
this temple in building.-' This, as Calmet well observes, 
is not saying that Herod had employed forty-six years in 
erecting it. Josephus acquaints us that Herod began to 
rebuild the temple, yet so as not to be esteemed a new 
edifice, in the eighteenth year of his reign,t computinj? 
from his being declared king by the Komans, or in the 
fifteenth year,]: reckoning from the death of Antigonu . 
He finished it for use in about nine years ;§ but it con- 
tinued increasing in splendour and magnificence, through 
the pious donations of the people, || to the time of Nero, 
when it was completed, and 18,000 workmen were dis- 

* De Bell. Jud. lib. \i. c. 4. § 8. f Antiq. lib. xv. c. l-^ 

J Bell. Jud. lib. 1. c. 76. § Anlif]. lib. xv. c. 14 

II Bell. .Tud. lib. V. c. 14. 

2 K 



250 



CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. 



missed from tliat service during the procuratorship at 
Albinus. From the eighteenth of Herod, who reigned 
thirty-seven years, to the hirtli of Christ, more than a 
year before the death of that prince, was above sixteen 
years, added to which, the age of Christ, now thirty^ 
gives forty-six complete years."* 

Before we proceed to describe this venerable edifice, 
it may be proper to remark, that by the temple is to be 
understood not only the fabric or honse itself, which by 
way of eminence is called The Temple, viz. the holy of 
holies, the sanctuary, and the several courts both of the 
priests and Israelites ; but also all the numerous cham- 
bers and rooms which this prodigious edifice compre- 
hended, and each of which had its respective degree of 
hohness, increasing in proportion to its contiguity to 
the holy of holies. This remark it will be necessary to 
bear in mind, lest the reader of the Scriptures should 
be led to suppose that whatever is there said to be 
transacted in the temple was actually done in the in- 
terior of that sacred edifice. To this infinite number of 
apartments into which the temple was disposed our 
Lord refers ; (John xiv. 2 ;) and by a very striking and 
magnificent simile borrowed from them, he represents 
those numerous seats and mansions of heavenly bhss 
which his Father's house contained, and which were pre- 
pared for the everlasting abode of the righteous. The 
imagery is singularly beautiful and happy, when con- 
sidered as an allusion to the temple, which our Lord 
not unfrequently called his Father's house. (John ii. 16.) 

The second temple, originally built by Zerubbabel, 
after the captivity, and repaired by Herod, differed in 
several respects from that erected by Solomon, although 
they agreed in others. 

The temple erected by Solomon was moie splendid 
and magnificent than the second temple, which was 

* Calmet's Comment, in ioc. 



CITIES^ ETC. JERUSALEM. 25 i 

deficient in five remarkable things that constituted the 
chief glory of the first: — these were the Ark and 
Mercy-seat^— the Shechinah^ or manifestation of the 
Divine presence in the holy of holies, — the sacred fire 
on the altar, which had been first kindled from heaven, 
— the Urim and Thummim, — and the spirit of prophecy. 

But the second temple surpassed the first in glory, 
being honoured by the frequent presence of our Divine 
Saviour, agreeably to the prediction of Haggai. (ii. 9.) 
Both, however, were erected upon the same site, a very 
hard rock encompassed by a very frightful precipice ; 
and the foundation was laid with incredible expense 
and labour. The superstructure was not inferior to 
this great work; the height of the temple wall, espe- 
cially on the south side, was stupendous ; in the lowest 
places it was 300 cubits, or 450 feet, and in some places 
even greater. This most magnificent pile was constructed 
with hard white stones of prodigious magnitude.* 

The Temple itself, strictly so called, (which comprised 
the portico, the sanctuary, and the holy of holies,) 
formed only a small part of the sacred edifice on Mount 
Moriah; being surrounded by spacious courts, making 
a square of half a mile in circumference. It was entered 
through nine magnificent gates; one of which, called 
the Beautiful Gate in Acts iii. 2, was more splendid and 
cost y than all the rest : it was composed of Corinthian 
brass, the most precious metal in ancient times. 

The first or outer court, which encompassed the holy 
house and the other courts, v^as named the Court of 
THE Gentiles ; because the latter were allowed to enter 
into it, but were prohibited from advancing further : it 
was surrounded by a range of porticoes or cloisters, 
above which were galleries or apartments supported by 
pillars of white marble, each consisting of a single piece, 

* AKiiq. Jud. lib. xy. § 5. 



0^52 CITIES; ETC. JERUSALEM. 

i'iiid five and twenty cubits in heiglit. One of these 
was called Solomon's Porch or Piazza, because it 
stood on a vast terrace, which he had originally raised 
from a valley beneath, 400 cubits high, in order to en- 
large the area on the top of the mountain, and make it 
equal to the plan of his intended building ; and as this 
terrace was the only work of Solomon's that remained 
in the second temple, the piazza which stood upon it 
retained the name of the prince. Here it was that -our 
Lord was walking at the feast of dedication;* (John 
X. 23 ;) and the lame man, when healed by Peter and 
John, glorified God before all the people. (Acts iii. 11.) 
Of the same kind with these porticoes, cloisters, or 
piazzas, were doubtless the five porticoes which sur- 
rounded the pool of Bethesda. (John v. 2.) The pool 
was probably a pentagon, and the piazzas round it were 
designed to shelter from the weather the multitude of 
diseased persons who lay waiting for a cure by the 
miraculous virtue of those waters. f This superb por- 
tico is termed the Royal Portico by Josephus, who 
represents it as the noblest work beneath the sun, being 
elevated to such a prodigious height that no one could 
look down from its flat roof to the valley below without 
being seized with dizziness, the sight not reaching to 
such an immeasurable depth. The south-east corner of 
the roof of this portico, where the height was greatest, 
is supposed to have been the ivTspvyiov, pinnacle, or 
extreme angle, whence Satan tempted our Saviour to 
precipitate himself. (Matt. iv. 5. Luke iv. 9.) This 
also was the spot where it was predicted that the abomi- 
nation of desolation, or the Roman ensigns, should 
stand. (Dan. ix. 27. Matt. xxiv. 15.) Solomon's por- 
tico was situated in the eastern front of the temple, 
opposite to the Mount of Olives^ where our Lord is said 

* Antiq. Jud. lib. xv. c. 11. § 3. 
t Jennings's .Jewish Antiq. p. 267. 



CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. 2^,3 

to have sat when his disciples came to show him the 
grandeur of its various buildings, of which, grand as thev 
were, he said, the time was approaching when one stone 
should not be left upon another. (Matt. xxiv. 1 — 3.) 
This outermost court being assigned to the Gentile pro- 
selytes, the Jews who did not worship in it themselves, 
conceived that it might be lawfully put to profane uses : 
for here we find that the buyers and sellers of animals 
for sacrifices, and also the money-changers, had stationed 
themselves ; until Jesus Christ, awing them into sub- 
mission by the grandeur and dignity of his person and 
behaviour, expelled them, telling them that it was the 
house of prayer /or all nations, and that it had a relative 
sanctity, and was not to be profaned. It is not improb- 
able, that the captains of the temple, who were officers 
that had the care and charge of it, let out this court for 
profit and advantage ; and that the sellers, to compensate 
themselves for what they paid for their tables and seats, 
made an unjust and exorbitant gain ; and that this cir- 
cumstance occasioned its being called a den of thieves.* 
(Matt. xxi. 12, 13. Mark xi. 15— 17. Luke xix. 45, 46.) 

Within the Court of the Gentiles stoodthe Court of 
THE Israelites divided into two parts or courts, the outer 
one being appropriated to the women, and the inner one 
to the men. The Court of the Women was separated from 
that of the Gentiles by a low stone wall or partition, of 
elegant construction, on which stood pillars at equal dis- 
tances, with inscriptions in Greek and Latin, importing 
that no alien should enter into the holy place. To this 
wall St. Paul most evidently alludes in Eph. ii. 13, 14. 
" But now in Christ Jesus, ye, who sometimes were afar 
off, are made nigh by the blood of Christ : for he is our 
peace, who hath made both one, (united both Jews and 
Gentiles into one Church,) and hath broken down the mid* 
* Bp. Pearce'8 Commentary, toI. i. on Matt. xxi. 13. 



254 



CITIES^ ETC. JERUSALEM. 



die wall of partition between us ; having abolislied tlie 
law of ordinances/^ by wHcb, as by tlie wall of separa- 
tion, botb Jews and Gentiles were not only kept 
asnnder, but also at variance. In this court was the 
Treasury, over against wbicb Christ sat, and beheld how 
the people threw their voluntary offerings into it for 
furnishing the victims and other things necessary for 
the sacrifices. (Mark xii. 41. John viii. 20.) 

Erom the Court of the Women, which was on higher 
ground than that of the Gentiles, there was an ascent 
of fifteen steps into the Inner or Men's Court : and so 
called because it was appropriated to the worship of 
the male Israelites. In these two courts, collectively 
termed the Court of the Isr^aelites, were the people pray- 
ing, each apart by himself, for the pardon of his sins., 
while Zechariah was offering incense within the sanc- 
tuary. (Luke i. 10.) 

Within the Court of the Israelites was that of the 
Priests, which was separated from it by a low wall, one 
cubit in height. This inclosure surrounded the altar 
of burnt-offerings, and to it the people brought their 
oblations and sacrifices : but the priests alone were 
permitted to enter it. From this court twelve steps 
ascended to the Temple strictly so called, which was 
divided into three parts, the portico, the outer sanc- 
tuary, and the holy place. 

In the Portico were suspended the splendid votive 
offerings made by the piety of various individuals. 
Among its other treasures, there was a golden table 
given by Pompey, together with several golden vines of 
exquisite workmanship as well as of immense size : for 
Josephus relates that there were clusters as tall as a 
man. And he adds, that all around were fixed up and 
displayed the spoils and trophies taken by Herod from 
the Barbarians and Arabians. These votive offerings, 



ClTlESj ETC. JERUSALEM. 



255 



it should seem, were visible at a distance ; for when 
Jesus Christ was sitting on the Mount of Olives, and 
his disciples called his attention to the temple, they 
pointed out to him the gifts with which it was adorned. 
(Luke xxi. 5, 6.) This porch had a very large portal 
or gate, which, instead of folding doors, was furnished 
with a costly Babylonian veil, of many colours, that 
mystically denoted the universe. 

The Sanctuary or Holy Place was separated from 
the holy of holies by a double veil, which is supposed 
to have been the veil that was rent in twain at our 
Saviour's crucifixion : thus emblematically pointing out 
that the separation between Jews and Gentiles was 
abolished, and that - the privilege of the high-priest was 
communicated to all mankind, who might henceforth have 
access to the throne of grace through the one great 
Mediator, Jesus Christ. (Heb. x. 19—22.) This cor- 
responded with the Holy Place in the Tabernacle. In it 
were placed the Golden Candlestick, the Altar of Incense, 
and the Table of Shew-Bread, which consisted of twelve 
loaves, according to the number of the tribes of Israel. 

Various fanciful delineations have been given of these 
articles. In the subjoined engraving is represented the 
Table of Shew-Bread, with two of the sacred trumpets. 




256 CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. 

which were used to proclaim the year of Jubilee, as 
they were carried in the triumphal procession of the 
Roman General Titus. 

The following engraving exhibits the form of the 
Golden Candlestick as it was also actually carried in 
the same triumph. They are copied from the plates in 
Reland^s ^''Treatise on the Spoils of the Temple of 
Jerusalem/^ the drawings for which were made at Rome, 
upwards of a century since, when the Triumphal Arch 
of Titus was in a much better state of preservation than 
it now is. 




The Holy of Holies was twenty cubits squai-e. No 
i ersoii was ever admitted into it but the high-priest, who 



CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. 



257 



entered it once a year on the great day of atonement. 
(Exod. XXX. 10; Levit. xvi. 2, 15, 34; Heb. ix. 2—7.) 

Magnificent as the rest of the sacred edifice was, it was 
infinitely surpassed in splendour by the Inner Temple, or 
Sanctuary. "Its appearance/^ according to Josephus, 
"had everything that could strike the mind or astonish 
the sight ; for it was covered on every side with plates of 
gold, so that when the sun rose upon it, it reflected so 
strong and dazzling an efi'ulgence, that the eye of the 
spectator was obHged to turn away, being no more able to 
sustain its radiance than the splendour of the sun. To 
strangers who were approaching, it appeared at a distance 
like a mountain covered with snow; for where it was not 
decorated with plates of gold, it was extremely white and 
glistering. On the top it had sharp-pointed spikes of gold, 
to prevent any bird from resting upon it and polluting 
it." " There were,'' continues the Jewish historian, "in 
that building, several stones which were forty-five cubits 
in length, five in height, and six in breadth.'''' When 
all these things are considered, how natural is the 
exclamation of the disciples when viewing this immense 
building at a distance : " Master, see what manner of 
stones {Tioroi'noi A^6o/, what very large stones) and what 
buildings are here ! " (Mark xiii. 1 .) And how wonderful 
is the declaration of our Lord upon this ! — how unlikely 
to be accomplished before the race of men who were 
then living should cease to exist ! " Seest thou these 
great buildings ? There shall not be left one stone upon 
another that shall not be thrown down.^' (Mark xiii. 2.) 
Improbable as this prediction must have appeared to the 
disciples at that time, in the short space of thirty-seven 
years after, it was exactly accomplished ; and this most 
magnificent temple, which the Jews had literally turned 
into a den of thieves, was, through the righteous judg- 
ments of God upon that wicked and abandoned nation, 

2 L 



258 



CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. 



utterly destroyed by the Romans, a.m. 4073, a.d. 73 
(or 70 of the vulgar sera), in the same month, and on 
the same day of the month, on which Solomon's temple 
had been razed to the ground by the Babylonians. 

Both the first and second temples were contemplated 
by the Jews with the highest reverence; of their afi'ec- 
tionate regard for the first temple, and for Jerusalem, 
within whose walls it was built, we have several in- 
stances in those Psalms which were composed during 
the Babylonish captivity ; and of their profound vene- 
ration for the second temple we have repeated exam- 
ples in the New Testament. " They could not bear 
any disrespectful or dishonourable thing to be said of 
it. The least injurious slight of ic, real or apprehend- 
ed, instantly awakened all the choler of a Jew, and 
was an affront never to be forgiven.' ' Our Saviour, in 
the course of his public instructions, happening to say, 

Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise 
it up again,'' (John ii. 19,) it was construed into a con- 
temptuous disrespect, designedly thrown out against 
the temple ; his words instantly descended into the 
heart of a Jew, and kept rankling there for several 
years ; for upon his trial, this declaration, which it was 
impossible for a Jew ever to forget or to forgive, was im- 
mediately alleged against him as big with the most atroci- 
ous guilt and impiety : they told the court they had heard 
him publicly assert, "1 am able to destroy this temple." The 
rancour and virulence they had conceived against him for 
this speech, which they imagined had been leveled against 
the temple, was not softened by all the affecting circum- 
stances of that excruciating and wretched death they saw 
him die : even as he hung upon the cross, with infinite 
triumph, scorn, and exultation, they upbraided him with it, 
contemptuously shaking their heads, and saying, ^' Thou 
that destroy est the temple, and buildest it in three days^ 



CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. 259 

save thyself! If thou be the Son of God, come down from 
the cross/^ (Matt, xxvii. 40.) The superstitious venera- 
tion, which this people had for their temple, further appears 
from the account of Stephen. When his adversaries were 
baffled and confounded by that superior wisdom and those 
distinguished gifts which he possessed, they were so ex- 
asperated at the victory he had gained over them, that they 
suborned persons to swear that they had heard him speak 
blasphemy against Moses and against God. These in- 
flaming the populace, the magistrates, and the Jewish 
clergy, the holy man was seized, dragged away, and brought 
before the Sanhedrim. Here the false witnesses, whom 
they had procured, stood up and said, " This man ceaseth 
not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place,^^ 
(Acts vi. 13), meaning the temple. This was blasphemy 
not to be pardoned. A judicature composed of high- 
priests and scribes would never forgive such impiety. 

"Thus, also, when St. Paul went into the temple to give 
public notice, as was usual, to the priests, of his having 
purified and bound himself by a religious vow along with 
four other persons, declaring the time when this vow was 
made, and the oblations he would offer for every one of 
them at his own expense, when the time of their vow was 
accomplished, some Jews of Asia Minor, when the seven 
days prescribed by the law were almost completed, hap- 
pening to see him in the temple, struck with horror at the 
sight of such apprehended profanation, immediately excited 
the populace, who all at once rushing upon him, instantly 
seized him, vehemently exclaiming, " Men of Israel, 
help ! This is the man that teacheth all men everywhere 
against the people (the Jews), and the law, and this place, 
and, further, brought Greeks into the temple, and hath 
polluted this holy place." (Acts xxi. 28.) They said this, 
because they had a little before seen Trophimus, an 
Ephesian, along with him in the city, and they instantly 



260 



CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. 



concluded he had brought him into the temple. Upon 
this the whole city was immediately raised ; all the people 
at once rushed furiously upon him, and dragged him out 
of the temple, whose doors were instantly shut. Being 
determined to murder him, news was carried to the Roman 
tribune, that the whole city was in a commotion. The 
uproar now raised among the Jews, and their determined 
resolution to imbrue their hands in the blood of a person 
who had spoken disrespectfully of the temple, and who 
they apprehended had wantonly profaned it by introducing 
Greeks into it, verify and illustrate the declaration of Philo ; 
that it was certain and inevitable death for any one who 
was not a Jew to set his foot within the inner courts of the 
temple." * 

It only remains to add, that it appears from several 
passages of Scripture, that the Jews had a body of 
soldiers who guarded the temple, to prevent any disturb- 
ance during the administration of such an immense number 
of priests and Levites. To this guard Pilate referred, 
when he said to the chief priests and Pharisees who waited 
upon him to desire he would make the sepulchre secure, 
"Ye have a watch ; go your way, and make it as secure as 
vou can." (Matt, xxvii. 65.) Over these guards one per- 
son had supreme command, who in several places is 
called the Captain of the Temple {^.r^ar-nyos roZ 'i^oZ,) or 
officer of the temple-guard. " And as they spake unto the 
people, the priests and the captain of the temple and tho 
Sadducees came upon them.-" (Acts iv. 1, 25, 26 ; Johr 
xviii. 12.) Josephus mentions such an officer.^f It would 

* Harwood's Introd. vol. ii. pp. 166 — 169. 

+ Toy arpxryiyov Avavov, Ananias, the commander of the people. 
Antiq. Jud. lib. xx. c. 6, § 2. Bell. Jud. lib. ii. c. 17, § 2. A(popu;vr£f 
tis Tov EXsa^apov (jrparjjyovra, having the chief regard t o Eleazar, the 
governor of the temple. Bell. Jud. lib. ii. c. 17, § 2. edit. Hudson. 
Harvpood's Introd. vol. ii. p. 169, and Dr. Lardner's Credibility, book i, 
c. xi. § 1 ; c ix. § 4. 



CITIES^ ETC. JERUSALEM, 



261 



seem that this officer was a Jew, from the circumstance of 
his assisting the high-priest in arresting those who were 
deemed to be seditious, without the intervention of the. 
Boman procurator. 

SOLOMON^S PALACE, THRONE, &c. 

Having finished the temple, the Hebrew monarch 
next built a palace for himself. The erection of this 
occupied thirteen years. It contained a large hall for 
the transaction of public business, which, from its 
beautiful pillars of cedar, was called ^'^The House of 
the forest of Lebanon.^^ The length of this hall was 
175 feet, its width half that measure, and its height 
fifty feet. The roof was of beams of cedar, and rested 
on four rows of columns of the same wood. It had 
three tiers of windows on each side, facing each 
other. Besides this great hall, there were two others, 
called porches, of smaller dimensions, in one of which 
was placed the Throne of Justice. Near to this build- 
ing was the apartment assigned to Pharaoh^s daughter, 
his principal wife, and perhaps a sort of Harem for his 
wives in general ; with other places of vast extent, par- 
ticularly a large banqueting-hall. 

Another erection with which Solomon adorned Jeru- 
salem, was a noble causeway, or terrace, thrown over 
the valley lying between Mount Zion and Mount 
Moriah, so as to form an artificial pathway from his 
palace, which stood on the former hill, to the temple, 
which crowned the latter. Besides the buildings al- 
ready specified, Solomon erected for himself a magnifi- 
cent throne of ivory, and overlaid it with gold. Six 
steps led up to the seat, and on each side of the 
steps were twelve lions, and two lions stood beside 
the stays of the seat. (2 Chron. ix. 17.) All the 



262 



CITIES^ ETC. JERUSALEM. 



vessels of his palace were of pure gold; silver was 
ttought too mean. His armoury was furnished 
with gold; 200 targets, each containing 600 shekels 
of beaten gold, and 300 shields, three pounds of 
beaten gold being wrought into each shield, were 
suspended in the house of the forest of Lebanon. 
(1 Kings X. 16 — 20.) Josephus mentions a body of 
archers, who escorted him from the city to his country 
palace, clad in dresses of Tyrian purple, and their hair 
powdered with gold dust ; and we are informed by the 
sacred historian that "the king made silver in Jeru- 
salem as stones, and cedar»trees made he as the syca- 
more trees that are in the low plains, in abundance." 
(2 Chron. ix. 27.) 

THE PALACE OF HEUOD. 

This is described by Josephus as larger than the tem- 
ple itself. It was built in the upper city, and surrounded 
by a wall thirty cubits high, with towers at equal distances; 
and was equally imposing from its architectural magnifi- 
cence, and the splendour and convenience of its internal 
decorations and arrangements.* In it were large bed-cham- 
bers, each of which would contain beds for 100 guests, 
constructed of various and rare stones collected for the 
purpose. Their roofs also were wonderful, both for the 
length of the beams, and the splendour of their orna- 
ments. The number of the rooms was also very great ; 
and the variety of the figures that were about them was 
prodigious. The furniture of these rooms was complete, 
and the greatest part of the vessels that were put in them 
were of silver and gold. There were, moreover, many 
porticoes, one behind another, round about, and in each of 



* De Bell. Jud, lib. i. c. 21 ; lib. v. c, 4. 



CITIES, ETC 



JERUSALEM. 



263 



these porticoesj curious pillars ; yet were all tne courts that 
were exposed to the air everywhere green. There were 
also several groves of trees^ and long walks through them, 
with deep canals and cisterns^ that in several parts were 
filled with brazen statues^ through which the water ran out. 
This palace was afterwards the residence of the Eoiran 
procurators; and^ as such residences were called by the 
Eomans Prmtoria, this was the Pratorium, or "judg- 
ment-hair^ of Pilate. (Mark xv. 16 ; John xviii. 28.) 

In the front of the palace was the tribunal, or "judg- 
ment-seat/' where the procurators sat to hear and deter- 
mine causes ; and whereon Pilate was seated at the trial 
of our Saviour. This was a raised pavement of Mosaic 
work [XiOoa-purov), called in the Hebrew, Gabbatha, an 
elevation. (John xix. 13.) And in some part of this 
edifice was the armoury, or barracks of the Roman soldiers 
that garrisoned Jerusalem, to which Jesus was conducted, 
and where he was mocked by the soldiers. (Matt, xxvii. 
27; Mark xv. 16.) 

THE TOWER OF ANTONIA. 

This fortress stood on a steep rock, adjoining the north- 
west corner of the temple, on the site of a citadel that had 
been built by Antiochus Epiphanes to keep the Jews in 
awe. This citadel was subsequently destroyed by them, 
and the rock cut down, that it might not command the 
temple.* It was rebuilt on the reduced site by the Mac- 
cabsean prince, John Hyrcanus, B.C. 135 ;t and afterwards 
repaired and strengthened by Herod, who made it at once 
a palace and a fortress, in which a Roman legion was 
always quartered. He gave it the name of Antonia, in 
honour of his friend Antonius, or Mark Antony, instead of 
"The Tower,^^ as it had been called previously. This 



* Joseph. Antiq. Jud. lib. xiii. c. 6. f Ibid. lib. xv. c. 11 



264 



CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. 



citadel, notwithstanding the pains the Jews had taken to 
lower the ground, was so lofty that it still overlooked the 
outer courts of the temple, and communicated with its 
cloisters by means of secret passages, through which the 
military could descend and quell the tumults that frequently 
arose during the great festivals. It was to a guard of 
these soldiers that Pilate referred the Jews as a watch " 
for the sepulchre of Christ. This tower was also the 
"castle'^ into which St. Paul was carried when the Jews 
rose against him in the temple, and were about to kill him ; 
and where he delivered the manly and eloquent account of 
his conversion and conduct. (Acts xxi. 37-— 40; and ch. 

xxii. ) The temple, with the tower of Antonia, constituted, 
in fact, the capitol and place d^armes of Jerusalem. 

There are few cities or nations whose history proclaims 
a more impressive moral lesson than iocs chat of Jerusa- 
lem, in the vicissitudes and reverses it has at different 
times experienced. In the reign of Rehoboam, the city 
and temple were taken and plundered by Shishak, king 
of Egypt, 971 B.C. (2 Chron. xii. 2 — 9.) In the reign 
of Amaziah (826 b.c), they sustained the same fate from 
Joash, king of Israel. (2 Kings xiv. ; 2 Chron. xxv. 23.) 
In the 22nd year of Manasseh (676 b. c.)^ the city was 
taken by Esarhaddon, king of Assyria; and Manasseh 
the king sent in chains to Babylon, as a punishment for 
his idolatry and cruelty. (2 Chron. xxxiii.) Sixty-six 
years from this period, it was taken by Pharaoh-Necho, 
king of Egypt; whom Josiah king of Judah, had opposed 
in his expedition to Carchemish, and who, in consequence, 
was killed at the battle of Megiddo, and his son Eliakim 
placed on the throne in his stead, 610 B.C. (2 Kings 

xxiii. ; 2 Chron. xxxv.) Jerusalem was three times be- 
sieged and taken by Nebuchadezzar, king of Babylon, 
within a very few years. The first, in the reign of 
Jehoiakim, when the city was pillaged, and the vessels of 



CITIES, ETC JERUSALEM. 



265 



tlie temple transported to Babylon, and placed in the 
temple of Belus, 606 B.C. (2 Cliron. xxxvi.) * The 
second, in the succeeding reign of Jeboiakin; when all 
the treasures of the palace and of the temple, and the re- 
mainder of the vessels of the latter which had been hidden 
or spared in the first capture, were carried away or de- 
stroyed, and the best of the inhabitants, with the king, 
led into captivity, 598 B.C. (2 Kings xxiv. ; 2 Chron. 
xxxvi.) And the third, in the reign of Zedekiah, the suc- 
cessor of Jehoiachin ; in whose ninth year, the most for- 
midable siege which this ill-fated city ever sustained, 
except that of Titus, was commenced. It lasted two 
years ; during a great part of which, the inhabitants suf- 
fered all the horrors of famine. On the ninth day of the 
fourth month, in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, which 
answers to July, 588 B.C., the garrison, with the king, 
endeavoured to make their escape from the city, but were 
pursued and defeated by the Chaldseans in the plains of 
Jericho ; Zedekiah made prisoner; his sons killed before 
his face at Riblah, whither he was taken to the king of 
Babylon; and he himself, after his eyes were put out, 
was bound with fetters of brass, and carried prisoner to 
Babylon, where he died ; thus fulfilhng the prophecy of 
Ezekiel, which declared that he should be carried to Baby- 
lon, but should not see the place, though he should die 
there. (Ezek. xii. 13.) In the following month, the 
Chaldsean army, under Nebuzaradan, entered tne city, 
took away everything that was valuable, and then burnt 

* At this first capture of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, many of the 
principal Jews were carried away captive to Babylon ; amongst whom 
were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah ; called by the Babylo- 
nians, Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. From this pe- 
riod, the seventy years' captivity commenced, and terminated in the first 
year of Cyrus, whose decree, liberating the Jews, and permitting the 
rebuilding of their city and temple, was issued in the year 536 B.C* 
giving an exact period of seventy xears, 

2 M 



CITIESj ETC. JERUSALEM. 



and utterly destroyed the city, temple, and walls, and left 
the whole razed to the ground. The entire population of 
the city and country, with the exception of a few husband- 
men, were then carried captive to Babylon. The city and 
temple lay in ruins until the 20th year of Artaxerxes, 
when Nehemiah, together with Ehashib the high-priest, 
and a patriotic band, returned to J udsea ; and, working 
with an implement of masonry in one hand, and a weapon 
of war in the other, to defend themselves from their im- 
placable foes the Samaritans, they rebuilt the wall in fifty- 
two days, in the year 445 b.c. : after which the city itself 
was gradually rebuilt and populated. (Nehem. ii. iv. 
and vi.) 

In the year 320 B.C., Ptolemy Soter, king of Egypt, in- 
vaded Judaea, and took Jerusalem by stratagem. He 
advanced against it on the Sabbath-day, and meeting with 
jio resistance, took it by assault, the superstitious Jews 
scrupling to violate that holy day, even in self-defence. 
On this occasion 100,000 of the people were carried away 
captives, and planted, some in Egypt, and others in Alex- 
andria and Gyrene.* In the year 170 b.c. Antiochus 
Epiphanes, king of Assyria, enraged at hearing that the 
Jews had rejoiced at a false report of his death, took and 
plundered Jerusalem, slew 80,000 persons, men, women 
and children, took 40,000 prisoners, and sold as many 
into slavery. Not more than two years afterwards, this 
cruel tyrant, who had seized every opportunity to exercise 
his barbarity on the Jews, sent Apollonius with an army 
to Jerusalem ; who pulled down the walls, plundered the 
bouses, massacred the people, and built a citadel on a rock 
adjoining the temple, which commanded that building, 
and had the effect of completely overawing the seditious. 

* From these colonists descended the Cyrenean Jews ; of whom were 
Jason, the historian of the Maccabees, and Simon who bore the crosa 
for our Saviour. 



CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. 



267 



From this period, it was abandoned to heathen idolatry, 
until Judas Maccabseus, by a series of spendid achieve- 
ments, recovered the city, purified the temple, and 
restored the service, after three years^ defilement by the 
Gentile idolatries. Jerusalem was subsequently besieged 
by Antiochus Eupator, 163 b.c, and again by Antiochus 
Sidetes, 134 b.c. 

It was subdued by the Romans, under Pompey, 63 
B.C.; and again by Herod, 43 B.C., when Antigonus, the 
king, was put to death, many of the people massacred, and 
the city pillaged. Jerusalem was yet doomed to sustain 
one other siege, more formidable in its character, more 
sanguinary in the. carnage that attended it, and more 
desolating in its results, than any of the preceding ones. 
The details of this awful transaction — the siege and de- 
molition of the city and temple by Titus — will be given in 
a future chapter. 

THh MODERN CITY. 

The Jerusalem of Sacred History is now no more. 
Not a vestige remains of the capital of David and Solo- 
mon; not a monument of Jewish times is standing. 
The very coiirse of the walls is changed, and the bound- 
aries of the ancient city are become doubtful. Viewed 
from the Mount of Olives, the city presents an imposing 
appearance, exhibiting a compactness of structure like 
that alluded to by the Psalmist (cxxii. 3) ; but on en- 
tering within the walls, the illusion vanishes. No 
" streets of palaces and walks of state,^^ — no high-raised 
arches of triumph, — not one of the superb and costly 
erections of Solomon, — in fact, not a single vestige re- 
mains to indicate its former military greatness or archi- 
tectural magnificence ; but, in the place of these, the tra- 
Tffller finds himself encompassed by walls of rude masonry. 



268 



CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. 



the dull uniformity of which is only broken by the 
occasional protrusion of a small grated window. The 
streets are narrow, and the houses, especially those of the 
Jews, wretched in the extreme. " From the daughter of 
Zion all her beauty is departed.'^ (Lam. i. 6.) "The 
appearance of this celebrated city,^^ says Mr. Buckingham, 
"independent of the feelings and recollections which the 
approach to it cannot fail to awaken, was greatly inferior 
to my expectations, and had certainly nothing of grandeur 
or beauty, of stateliness or magnificence about it. It 
appeared like a walled town of the third or fourth class, 
having neither towers, nor domes, nor minarets within it, 
in sufficient numbers to give even a character to its im- 
pressions on the beholder ; but showing chiefly large flat- 
roofed buildings of the most unornamented kind, seated 
amid rugged hills, on a stony and forbidding soil, with 
scarcely a picturesque object in the whole compass of the 
surrounding view.-'' 

Mr. Stephens, who visited Jerusalem in 1836, gives a 
similar account : — " Stopping to water my horse at a foun- 
tain in front of the monastery of St. Elias, I turned to 
take a last look at Bethlehem; and my horse moving a 
few paces, when I turned again, I saw in full view the 
holy city of Jerusalem. I did not expect it, and was 
startled by its proximity. It looked so small, and yet lay 
spread out before me so distinctly, that it seemed as if 1 
ought to perceive the inhabitants moving through the 
streets, and hear their voices humming in my ears. I saw 
that it was walled all around, and that it stood alone in an 
extensive waste of mountains, without suburbs, or even a 
solitary habitation beyond its walls. There were no domes, 
steeples. Or turrets, to break the monotony of its aspect, 
and even the mosques and minarets made no show. It 
would have been a relief, and afforded something to excite 
the feelings, to have beheld it in ruins, or dreary und 



CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. 



269 



desolate like Petra, or with the banner of the Prophet, thus 
blood-red Mussulman flag, waving high above its walls. 
B?it all was tame and vacant. There was nothing in its 
/appearance that afforded me a sensation ; it did not even 
inspire me with melancholy ; and I probably convict my- 
self when I say, that the only image it presented to my 
mind was that of a city larger and in better condition than 
the usual smaller class of those within the Turkish 
dominion. I was obliged to rouse myself by recalling to 
mind the long train of extraordinary incidents of which 
that little city had been the theatre, and which made it, 
in the eyes of the Christian, the most hallowed spot on 
earth. One thing only particularly struck me — its ex- 
ceeding stillness. It was about mid-day ; but there was 
no throng of people entering or departing from its gates, 
no movement of living creatures to be seen beneath its 
walls. All was as quiet as if the inhabitants were, like 
the Spaniards, taking their noonday sleep.-'^* 

How singularly appropriate to the present state of 
Jerusalem is the pathetic lamentation of Jeremiah : — 
" How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of peojjle ! 
how is she become as a ividow ! she that ivas great among 
the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she 
hecome trihutary ! She iceepeth sore in the night, and hei' 
tears are on her cheeks : among her lovers she hath none 
to comfort her : all her friends have dealt treacherously ivith 
her, they are hecome her enemies. Judah is gone into cap 
tivity hecause of affliction, and because of great servitude 
she dvjelleth among the heathen, she Jindeth no rest ; all her 
persecutors overtook her between the straits. The ways of 
Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts : all 
her gates are desolate : her priests sigh, her virgins are af- 
flicted, and she is in bitterness. Hei' adversaries are the 
chief, her enemies prosper : for the Lord hath affiiciaa h 

•Incidents of Travel, p. 457. 



270 



CITIES, ETrs. JERUSALEM. 



for the multitude of her transgressions: her children are 
gone into captivity before the enemy. And from the daughter 
of Zion all her beauty is departed : her princes are become 
like harts that find no pasture, and they are gone without 
strength before the pursuer. How hath the Lord covered 
the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger, and cast 
down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel, and 
remembered not his footstool in the day of his anger ! The 
Lord hath swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob, vnd 
hath not pitied : he hath thrown down in his wrath the 
strong-holds of the daughter of Judah ; he hath brought 
them down to the ground : he hath polluted the kingdom and 
the princes thereof. He hath cut off in his fierce anger all 
the horn of Israel : He hath drawn back his right hand from 
before the enemy, and' he burned against Jacob like a flaming 
fre which devoureth round about. He hath bent his bow 
like an enemy : he stood with his right hand as an adver- 
sary, and slew all that were pleasant to the eye in the 
tabernacle of the daughter of Zion: he poured out hi 
fury like fire. The Lord was an enemy : he hath swalloive. 
up Israel, he hath swallowed up all her palaces : he hath 
destroyed all her strong-holds, and hath increased in the 
daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation. And he 
hath violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a 
garden : he hath destroyed his place of the assembly : the 
Lord hath caused the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be 
forgotten in Zion, and hath despised in the indignation of 
his anger the king and the priest. The Lord hath cast off 
his altar, he hath abhorred his sanctuary, he hath given up 
into the hand of the enemy the walls of hei" palaces ; they 
have ma^ a noise in the house of the Lord, as in the day 
of a solemn feast. The Lord hath purposed to destroy the 
wall of the daughter of Zion : he hath stretched out a line^ 
he hath not withdrawn his hand from destroying : therefore 
he made the rampart and the wall to lament ; they languished 



CITIES. ETC. 



JERUSALEM. 



271 



together. Her gates are sunk into the ground; he hath 
destroyed and broken her bars: her king and her princes are 
among the Gentiles: the Jaw is no more; her propJiets 
also find no vision from the Lord. All that pass by clap 
their hands at thee; they hiss and wag their head at the 
daughter of Jerusalem, saying, Is this the city that men call 
The perfection of beauty, The joy of the icJiole earth?'' 
(Lam. i. 1 — 6; ii. 1 — 9, 15.) 

Chateaubriand, after citiDg this language as accurately 
portraying the present appearauace of the city, gives the 
following graphic description of it : — 

" When seen from the mount of 01ives_, on the other 
side of the valley of Jehoshaphat_, Jerusalem presents an 
inclined plane, descending from vrest to east. An em- 
battled wall, fortified with towers and a Gothic castle, en- 
compasses the city all round ; excluding^ however, part of 
Mount Sion, which it formerly enclosed. In the western 
quarter, and in the centre of the city, the houses stand 
very close ; but in the eastern part, along the Brook 
Kedron, you perceive vacant spaces; among the rest, that 
which surrounds the mosque erected on tlie ruins of the 
temple, and the nearly-deserted spot where once stood 
the castle of Antonia and tlie second palace of Herod. 

The houses of Jerusalem are hea^y square masses, very 
low, without cliiraneys or windows ; they have flat ter- 
races or domes on the top, and look like prisons or 
sepulchres. The whole would appear to the eye one un- 
interrupted level, did not the steeples of the churches, 
the minarets of the mosques, the summits of a few 
cypresses, and the clumps of nopals, break the uniformity 
of the plan. On beholdmg tliese stone buildings, encom- 
passed by a stony country, you are ready to inquire if 
they are not the confused monuments of a cemetery in the 
midst of a desert. 

Enter the city, but nothing will you there find to 



272 CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. 

make amends for the dulness of its exterior. You 
lose yourself fimong narrow, unpaved streets, here 
going up hill, there down, from the inequality of the 
ground, and you walk among clouds of dust or loose 
stones. Canvass stretched from house to house in- 
creases the gloom of this labyrinth. Bazaars, roofed 
over, and fraught with infection, completely exclude 
the light from the desolate city. A few paltry shops 
expose nothing but wretchedness to view, and even 
these are frequently shut, from apprehension of the 
passage of a cadi. Not a creature is to be seen in the 
streets, not a creature at the gates, except now and 
then a peasant gliding through the gloom, concealing 
under his garments the fruits of his labour, lest he 
should be robbed of his hard earnings by the rapacious 
soldier. Aside, in a corner, the Arab butcher is slaugh- 
tering some animal, suspended by the legs from a wall 
in ruins : from his haggard and ferocious look, and his 
bloody hands, you would suppose that he had been 
cutting the throat of a fellow-creature, rather than 
killing a lamb. The only noise heard from time to 
time in the city, is the galloping of the steed of the 
desert : it is the janissary who brings the head of the 
Bedouin, or who retm-ns from plundering the unhappy 
Fellah. 

Amid this extraordinary desolation, you must pause 
a moment to contemplate two circumstances still more 
extraordinary. Among the ruins of Jerusalem, two 
classes of independent people find in their religion 
sufficient fortitude to enable them to surmount such 
complicated horrors and wretchedness. Here reside 
communities of Chi'istian monks, whom nothing can 
compel to forsFike the tomb of Christ ; neither plunder 
nor ^tersonal ill-treatment, nor menaces of death itself. 
IN'ight and day they chaunt their hymns around the 



CITIES^ ETC. JERUSALEM. 



273 



Holy Sepnlclire. Driven by the cudgel and the sabre, 
TTomen^ children^ flocks, and herds_, seek refuge in the 
cloisters of these recluses. What prevents the armed 
oppressor from piu'suing his prey^ and overthrowing 
such feeble ramparts ? The charity of the monks : 
they deprive themselves of the last resources of life to 
ransom their suppliants.''^ 

Dr. Clarke draws a somewhat different picture of 
these holy friars : he describes them^ in the first 
place, as the most corpulent he had ever seen issue 
fi'om the warmest cloisters of Spain or Italy. Their 
comfortable convent, compared with the usual accom- 
modations of the Holy Land, is, he says, like a 
sumptuous and well-furnished hotel. ^^The influence 
which a peculiar mode of life has upon the constitution 
in this climate, might,^^ he adds, " be rendered evident, 
by contrasting one of these jolly fellows^'' (the guard- 
ians of the Holy Sepulchre, or, according to the name 
they bear, the Terra Santa friars,) "with the Propaganda 
missionaries. The latter are as meagre and as pale as 
the former are corpulent and ruddy. ■'^ In the com- 
motions which have taken place in Jerusalem, the 
Convent of St. Salvador has been repeatedly plundered; 
yet still, the riches of the treasury are said to be con-- 
siderable. The Franciscans complain heavily of the 
exactions of the Turks, who make frequent and large 
demands on them for money. "But,''^ remarks Dr. C, 
" the fact of their being able to answer these demands 
affords a proof of the wealth of their convent.^-' Sir 
Sidney Smith, during his visit to Jerusalem, rendered 
them essential service, which they have not forgotten, 
by remonstrating with the Turkish governor against 
one of these avanias, as they are called, and finally 
inducing him to withdraw the charge. Hasselquist 
states the sum that yearly passed through the hands 



2n 



274 CITIES^ ETC. -JERUSALEM. 

of the procurator of the convent to be at least half a 
million of livres. " The revenues/^ he says, " arise from 
alms, the greatest part from Spain and Portugal ; from 
those people who permit the barbarians to ruin their 
trade, and plunder their country, without supplying 
one piaster for their chastisement; but send yearly a 
considerable sum to Jerusalem to be devoured by 
Turks, their inveterate enemies, and by monks, who 
are useless inhabitants in Europe, and unnecessary at 
Jerusalem, where they are of no sort of advantage to 
Christianity." 

" Cast your eyes between the temple and Mount Sion ; 
behold another petty tribe, cut off from the rest of the 
inhabitants of this city. The particular objects of every 
species of degradation, these people bow their heads 
without murmuring; they endure every kind of insult 
without demanding justice; they sink beneath repeated 
blows without sighing; if their head be required, they 
present it to the scimitar. On the death of any mem- 
ber of this proscribed community, his companion goes 
at night, and inters him by stealth in the Valley of 
Jehoshaphat, in the shadow of Solomon^s temple. Enter 
the abodes of these people, you will find them, amid 
the most abject wretchedness, instructing their child- 
ren to read a mysterious book, which they in their 
turn will teach their offspring to read. What they did 
5000 years ago, these people still continue to do. 
Seventeen times have they witnessed the destruction 
of Jerusalem, yet nothing can discourage them, no- 
thing can prevent them from turning their faces 
toward Sion. To see the Jews scattered over the 
whole world, according to the Word of God, must 
doubtless excite surpjise. But, to be struck with 
supernatural astonishment, you must view them at 
Jerusalem ; you must behold these rightful mas- 



CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. ^5 

ters of Judaea living as slaves and strangers in their 
own country ; you must behold them expecting, under 
all oppressions, a king who is to deliver them. Crushed 
by the Cross that condemns them, skulking near the 
temple of which not one stone is left upon another, 
they continue in their deplorable infatuation. The 
Persians, the Greeks, the E-omans, are swept from the 
earth; and a petty tribe, whose origin preceded that 
of those great nations, still exists unmixed among the 
ruins of its native land.^^ 

" Jerusalera,^^ remarks Sir Frederick Henniker, 
*'is called even by Mohammedans, the Blessed City 
(El Gootz, or El KoudesJ. The streets of it are narrow 
and deserted, the houses dirty and ragged, the shops 
few and forsaken ; and throughout the whole there is 
not one symptom of either commerce, comfort, or 
happiness. The best view of it is from the Mount of 
Olives : it commands the exact shape and nearly every 
particular, viz. the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the 
Armenian convent, the Mosque of Omar, St. Stephen^s 
Gate, the round-topped houses, and the barren vacan- 
cies of the city. Without the walls are a Turkish 
burial-ground, the tomb of David, a small grove near 
the tombs of the kings ; and all the rest is a surface of 
rock, on which are a few numbered trees. The Mosque 
of Omar is the St. Peter's of Turkey, and the re- 
spective saints are held respectively by their own faith- 
iul in equal veneration. The building itself has a light 
padoga appearance ; the garden in which it stands 
occupies a considerable part of the city, and contrasted 

with the surrounding desert, is beautiful The 

buriahplace of the Jews is over the Valley of Kedron, 
and the fees for breaking the soil afford a considerable 
revenue to the governor. The burial-place of the Turks 
is under <-he walls, near St. Stephen^s Gate. From the 



276 CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. 

opposite side of the valley, I was witness to the cere- 
mony of parading a corpse round the mosque of Omar, 
and then bringing it forth for burial. I hastened to 
the grave, but was soon driven away: as far as my 
on dit tells me, it would have been worth seeing. The 
grave is strewn with red earth, supposed to be of the 
Ager Damascenus of which Adam was made; by tlie 
side of the corpse is placed a stick, and the priest tells 
him that the devil will tempt him to become a Chris- 
tian, but that he must make good use of his stick ; 
that his trial will last three days, and that he will then 
find himself in a mansion of glory,^^ &c. 

The following is Mr. Buckingham's description of 
the Holy Cit}^, as seen from the Mount of Olives : — 
" Reposing beneath the shade of an olive-tree, upon 
the brow of this hill, we enjoyed from hence a fine 
prospect of Jerusalem on the opposite one. This city 
occupies an irreg-ular square of about two miles and a 
half in circumference. Its shortest apparent side is 
that which faces the east: and in this is the supposed 
gate of the ancient temple, now closed up, and the 
small projecting stone on which Mohammed is to sit 
when the world is to be assembled to judgment in the 
vale below. The southern side is exceedingly irregular, 
taking quite a zigzag direction; the south-west ex- 
treme being terminated by a mosque, built over the 
supposed sepulchre of David on the summit of Mount 
Sion. The form and exact direction of the western 
and northern walls are not distinctly seen from hence ; 
but every part of this appears to be a modern work, 
and executed at the same time. The walls are flanked 
at irregular distances by square towers, and have bat- 
tlements running all around on their summits, with 
loop holes for arrows or musquetry close to the top. 
The walls appear to be about fifty feet in height, but 



CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. 



277 



are not surrounded by a ditch. The northern wall 
runs over slightly declining ground; the eastern wall 
runs straight along the brow of Mount Moriah, with 
the deep Valley of Jehoshaphat below; the southern wall 
crosses over the summit of the hiU assumed as Mount 
Sion, with the Vale of Hinnom at its feet : and the 
western wall runs along on more level ground, near 
the summit of the high and stony mountains over 
which we had first approached the town. 

As the city is thus seated on the brow of one large 
hill, divided by name into several smaller hills, and the 
whole of these slope gently down towards the east, 
this view from the Mount of Olives, a position of 
greater height than that on which the highest part of 
the city stands, commands nearly the whole of it at 
once. 

On the north, it is bounded by a level and ap- 
parently fertile space, now covered with olive-trees, 
particularly near the north-east angle. On the south, 
the steep side of Mount Sion, and the Valley of Hin- 
nom, both show patches of cultivation and little garden 
enclosures. On the west, the sterile summits of the 
hills there barely lift their outlines above the dwellings. 
And on the east, the deep Valley of Jehoshaphat, now 
at our feet, has some partial spots relieved by trees, 
though as forbidding in its general aspect as the Vale 
of Death could ever be desired to be by those W'ho have 
chosen it for the place of their interment. 

Within the walls of the city are seen, to the north, 
crowded dwellings, remarkable in no respect, except 
being terraced by flat roofs, and generally built of 
stone. On the south, are some gardens and vineyards, 
with the long red Mosque of Al Sakhara, having two 
tiers of windows, a sloping roof, and a dark dome at 
one end ; and the Mosque of Sion, on the sepulchre of 



278 CITIES^ ETC.-— — JERUSAI^EM. 

David, in the same quarter. On the west, is seen the 
high square castle and palace of the same monarch, 
near the Bethlehem Gate. In the centre rise the two 
cupolas of unequal form and size, the one blue and the 
other white, covering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. 
Around, in different directions, are seen the minarets of 
eight or ten mosques, and an assemblage of about 2000 
dwellings. And on the east, is seated the great Mosque 
of Al Harem, or, as called by Christians, the Mosque of 
Solomon, from being supposed, with that of Al Sakhara 
near it, to occupy the site of the ancient temple of that 
splendid and luxurious king." 

The same author describes J erusalem as seated on un- 
equal ground, on a range of high hills, which he com- 
putes at 1500 feet above the sea ; some of the eminences 
being higher than those on which the city itself stands. 
The whole country around is represented as a rocky and 
barren space, which almost defies the efforts of human 
labour to fertilize by any common process. The fixed 
inhabitants he estimates at about 8000 ; but the con- 
tinual arrival and departure of strangers make the total 
number of those present in the city from ten to 15,000 
generally, according to the season of the year. These 
are made up of a mixed multitude of Turkish and 
Arabian Mohammedans, who are the most numerous, 
Greeks, Latins, Armenians, Copts, Abyssinians, Syrians, 
Nestorians, Maronites, Chaldseans, and Jews ; amongst 
whom, the poor Jews, in this their own city, are the 
most degraded, and " are more remarkable from the 
striking peculiarities of their features and dress, than 
from their numbers, as contrasted with the other bodies." 

It is hoped the reader will not be wearied with the 
observations of one or two more intelligent travellers on 
the approach to, and the condition of, this interesting 
city. All do not see with the same eyes ; and the dif- 



CITIES,, ETC. JERUSALEM. 279 

ferent impressions made on the travellers wlio have been 
favoured with the opportunity of visiting it, will be read 
with eagerness by those who have studied its history, 
and who wish to avail themselves of every source of in- 
formation that may serve to give them more distinct 
conceptions of its present state. 

"Having reached the summit" (ofthehiils), says 
Dr. Richardson, " w^e came in sight of Jerusalem, from 
which we were distant about ten minutes^ walk of our 
mules. These plain embattled walls, in the midst of a 
barren mountain track, do they enclose the city of 
J erusalem ? That hill at a distance on our left, support- 
ing a crop of barley, and crowned with a half-ruined 
hoary mansion, is that the Mount of Olives? Where 
is the Temple of Solomon ? — and where is Mount Zion, 
the glory of the w hole earth ? The end of a lofty and 
contiguous mountain bounds our view beyond the city 
on the south. An insulated rock peaks up on our 
right, and a broad flat-topped mountain, furrow^ed by 
the plough, slopes down upon our left. The city is 
straight before us ; but the greater part of it stands in 
a hollc.w that opens to the east; and the walls being 
built ypon the higher ground on the north, and on the 
west, prevent the interior from being seen in this 
direction. We path down the gentle descent covered 
with well-trodden grass, which neither the sun nor the 
passengers had yet deprived of its verdure. The ground 
sinks on our right into what has been called the Valley 
of the Son of Hinnom, which at the north-west corner 
of the wall becomes a broad deep ravine, tbat passes 
the Gate of Yaffa or Bethlehem, and runs along the 
western wall of the city. Arrived at the gate, though 
guarded by Turkish soldiers, we passed without tribute 
or interruption. The Castle of David, or, to call it by its 
modern name, the Tower of the Pisons, is on our right ; 



2S0 



CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. 



on our left is a rugged stone wall^ enclosing a vacant 
field, with a cistern, in which the bathing Bathsheba 
was seen by the King of Israel. The ruins are at the 
gates ; but nothing of the grandeur of the city appears. 
We turned to the left, where the houses commence on 
both hands, and a few steps brought us to the Latin con- 
vent of St. Salvador. 

Come now, and see the city of the prophets and apostles; 
walk round the walls of Jerusalem, and consider the woes 
of Mount Zion. 

There are two accounts of the ancient city of Jerusalem, 
which have come down to ns with the sanction of high 
authority. The first is to be found in the third chapter of 
Nehemiah, who built the walls of the city after the return 
of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity. My attention 
was particularly directed to this account by the Countess 
of Belmore, who visited the memorable spots in and about 
Jerusalem, with all the zeal and feeling of a pious Chris- 
tian, taking the Holy Scriptures for her guide, while at the 
same time she availed herself of all the light that modern 
travellers have been able to collect for the illustration of 
this most interesting portion of sacred topography. 

The other account is from the pen of the Jewish his- 
torian Josephus, who had the misfortune to witness the 
sacking and utter destruction of his native city by the vic- 
torious arms of Titus Vespasian. 

It is a tantalizing circumstance, however, for the traveller 
who wishes to recognise in his walks the site of particular 
buildings, or the scenes of memorable events, that the 
greater part of the objects mentioned in the descriptions 
both of the inspired and Jewish historian are entirely re- 
moved, and razed from their foundation, without leaving a 
single trace or name behind to point out where they stood. 
Not an ancient tower, or gate, or wall, or hardly even a 
stone, remains. The foundations are not only broken np 



CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. 



281 



but every fragment of wliicli they were composed is swept 
awa}^, and the spectator looks upon the bare rock, with 
hardly a sprinkling of earth to point out her gardens of 
pleasure, or groves of idolatrous devotion. And when 
we consider the palaces, and towers, and walls about 
Jerusalem, and that the stones of which some of them 
were constructed were thirty feet long, fifteen feet broad, 
and seven and a-half feet thick, we are not more aston- 
ished at the strength, and skill, and perseverance by which 
they were constructed, than shocked by the relentless and 
brutal hostility by which they were shattered and over- 
thrown, and utterly removed from our sight. A few 
gardens still remain on the sloping base of Mount Zion, 
watered from the pool of Siloam ; the gardens of Geth- 
semane are still in a sort of ruined cultivation — the fences 
are broken down, and the ohve-trees decaying, as if the 
hand that di'essed and fed them was withdrawn ; the 
Mount of Olives still retains a languishing verdure, and 
nourishes a few of those trees from which it derives its 
name ; but all round about Jerusalem, the general aspect 
is blighted and barren ; the grass is withered ; the bare 
rock looks through the scanty sward ; and the grain 
itself, like the staring progeny of famine, seems in doubt 
whether to come to maturity, or die in the ear. The "vine 
that was brought from Egypt is cut off from the midst of 
the land ; the vineyards are wasted ; the hedges are taken 
away; and the graves of the ancient dead are open and 
tenantless. How is the gold become dim ; and everything 
that was pleasant to the eye withdrawn ! Jerusalem 
has heard the voice of David and Solomon, of prophets 
and apostles; and He who spake as man never spake 
has taught in her synagogues and in her streets. Be* 
fore her legislators, her poets, and her apostles, those 
of all other countries became dumb, and cast down their 
crowns, as unworthy to stand in their presence. Once 



2o 



282 



CITIES, ETC 



■JERUSALEM. 



she was rich in every blessing ; victorious over all her 
enemies ; and resting in peace, with every man sitting 
under his own vine, and under his own fig-tree, with none 
to disturb or to make him afraid. Jerusalem was the 
brightest of all the cities of the East, and fortified above 
all other towns; so strong, that the Roman conqueror 
thereof^ and the master of the whole world besides, ex- 
claimed, on entering the city of David, and looking up at 
the towers which the Jews had abandoned, ^ Surely we 
have had God for our assistance in the war ; for what 
could human hands or human machines do against these 
towers ! It is no other than God who has expelled the 
Jews from their fortifications.' Their temple was the 
richest in the whole world; their religion was the 
purest ; and their God was the Lord of hosts. Never 
was there a people favoured like this people : but they 
set at nought the counsel of their God, trusted in 
their walls, and walked after the imagination of theii 
own hearts ; — their city was given up to the spoiler ; 
the glorj^ departed from Israel, and the sceptre from 
Judah; the day of vengeance arrived; and the rebel- 
lious sons of Jacob are scattered, and peeled, and 
driven under every wind of heaven, without a nation 
or country to call their own; unamalgamated, per- 
secuted, plundered, and reviled, like the ruins of a 
blighted tower, whose fragments remain to show the 
power that smote it, and to call aloud to heaven and 
earth for repair. What a tremendous lesson for the 
kings and people of the earth to learn wisdom, and, 
in the midst of their prosperity, to recognise the hand 
from which their comforts flow! 

It is impossible for the Christian traveller to look upon 
Jerusalem with the same feelings with which he would set 
himself to contemplate the ruins of Thebes, of Athens, or 
of Rome, or of any other city which the world ever saw. 



CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. 



283 



There is in all the doings of the Jews, their virtues and 
their vices, their wisdom and their folly, a height and a 
depth, a breadth and a length, that angels cannot fathom ; 
their whole history is a history of miracles ; the precepts 
of their Sacred Book are the most profound, and the best 
adapted to every situation in which man can be placed — 
they moderate him in prosperity, sustain him in adversity, 
guide him in health, console him in sickness, support him 
at the close of life, travel on with him through death, 
live with him throughout the endless ages of eternity : 
and Jerusalem lends its name to the eternal mansions 
of the blessed in heaven, which man is admitted to enjoy 
through the atonement of Christ Jesus, who was born of 
a descendant of Judah. 

But we must turn to consider the Jerusalem that now is 
In Egypt and Syria it is universally called Gouts or Koudes, 
which means holy, and is still a respectable good-looking 
town. It is of an irregular shape, approaching nearest to 
that of a square ; it is surrounded by a high embattled 
wall, which, generally speaking, is built of the common 
stone of the country, which is a compact limestone. It has 
six gates : one of which looks to the west, and is called 
the Gate of YafFa, or Bethlehem, because the road to these 
places passes through it. Two look to the north ; one is 
called the Gate of Sham or Damascus, the other the Gate 
of Herod. The fourth gate looks to the east, or the Valley 
of Jehoshaphat, and is called St. Stephen^s Gate, because 
here the proto martyr was stoned to death ; it is close by 
the Temple, or Mosque of Omar, and leads to the gardens 
of Gethsemane and the Mount of Olives, Bethany, Jericho, 
and all the east of Jerusalem: the fourth gate leads into 
the temple, or Haram Schereeff, which was formerly called 
the Church of the Presentation, because the Virgin Mary 
is supposed to have entered by this gate to present her Son, 
our blessed Saviour^ in the temple. On account of a turn 



284 CITTS.% ETC. JERUSALEM. 

in tlie wall, this gat though in the east wall of the city, 
looks to the soutb, towards Mount Zion. Near to this 
there- is another gnte, which is small, not admitting either 
horses or carriages, of which last, however, there are none 
in Jerusalem : and from the wall resuming its former 
direction, looks to the east : it is called the Dung Gate- 
The last is called Zion Gate, or the Gate of the Prophet 
David : it looks to the south, and is in that part of the 
wall which passes over Mount Zion, and runs between the 
Brook Kedron, or Yalley of Jehoshaphat, on the east, and 
the deep ra\dne called the Valley of the Son of Hinnom on 
the west, leaving about two-thirds of Mount Zion on the 
south or outside of the walls : it is nearly opposite to the 
mosque which is built over the sepulchre of David. The 
longest wall is that which faces this, and is on the north 
side of the city; it runs between the Valley of Gihon on 
the west, and the Valley of Jehoshaphat on the east. I 
walked round the city on the outside of the wall in an hour 
and twenty minutes, and Lady Belmore rode round it, on 
her ass, in an hour and a quarter ; and the whole cir- 
cumference, as measured by Maundrell, a most accurate 
traveller, is two miles and a half.^^* 

Maundrell says : — " I was willing, before our depar- 
ture, to measure the circuit of the city ; so, taking one 
of the friars with me, I went out in the afternoon in 
order to pace the walls round. We went out at 
Bethlehem Gate, and proceeding on the right hand, 
came about to the same gate again. I found the whole 
city 4630 paces in circumference, which I computed 
thus : — 

PACES. 

From Bethlehem Gate to the corner on the right hand 400 

From that corner to Damascus Gate 680 

From Damascus Gate to Herod's 381) 



• Dr. Richardson's Travels along the Mediterranean and Parts 
adjacent.' 



CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. 



285 



PACES. 

From Herod's Grate to Jeremiah's prison . . . , 150 
From Jeremiali's prison to the corner next the Yallej 

of Jehoshaphat 225 

From that corner to St. Stephen's Gate . . . . 385 

From St. Stephen's Gate to the Golden Gate . . . 240 

From the Golden Gate to the corner of the wall . . 380 

From that corner to the Dung Gate ...... 470 

From the Dung Gate to Zion Gate 605 

From Zion Gate to the corner of the wall . . . . 215 

From that corner to Bethlehem Gate 500 

In aU, paces . . 4630 

"The reduction of my paces to yards, is by casting 
away a tenth part, ten of my paces making nine yards ; 
by which reckoning, the 4630 paces amount to 4167 
yards, which make just two miles and a half.'^* 

Sir F. Henniker reckoned the regular footpath, outside 
the walls, to be 53.20 paces : he performed the circuit 
in just forty-five minutes, and estimates it roughly at 
three miles, f 

Mr. Wilson, in his Travels in Palestine, observes of 
the buildings of Jerusalem: — "After having run to and 
fro through the streets of the city, I may observe, on 
the general style of the buildings, I could not but ac 
knowledge that everywhere I saw traces of the fidelity 
and truth of scriptural descriptions. The houses are 
low, flat in the roof, and have few or no windows to the 
front; most of which are thrown backwards. These 
look into an open court, in the shape of a quadrangle. 
The building is then encircled in the form of a cloister, 
with galleries round it, which are sometimes fronted 
with latticed work; fountains are made in the centre, 
and fruit-trees around adorn this court, which throw 

• Journey from Aleppo to Jerusalem, 
f Gender's Palestine, pp. 80, 81. 



286 CITIES, ETC. —JERUSALEM. 

out a delicious perfume. It is conjectured that our 
Lord preferred such courts, as favourite situations for 
proclaiming his power and divinity ; such as at the 
time when the helpless individual, afflicted with palsy, 
had been let down and stretched out before him, and 
on various other remarkable occasions. The doors of 
the houses are remarkably low and narrow, to which 
admission can only be had by stooping. This is par- 
ticularly the case in the entrances of convents, which 
may be denominated wicket-gates, arising in all pro- 
bability from an extreme jealousy on the part of the 
Christians, that, if these were made on a large scale, 
their possessions might be invaded with greater facility 
by the Mohammedans, by riding into the courts, com- 
mitting plunder, and every kind of outrage. When a 
knock is heard at these gates, the greatest caution is 
observed in opening them. This mode of building 
appears singularly to correspond with the observation 
of Solomon, respecting the danger to be apprehended 
in forming gateways too great in height. (Prov. xvii. 
19.) The observation of Solomon, however, has another 
application. It was usual in the East, as it still is, for 
the elevation of the door or gateway of a house to cor- 
respond with the wealth or rank of the inhabitant : and 
in this sense, Solomon refers to the ' exalted gate ^ as a 
mark of pride, which led to other dangers besides those 
of personal violence.^^* 

According to Ali Bey, "There is, in Jerusalem, a great 
diversity of costume, everybody adopting that which he 
likes best, whether Arab, Syrian, or Turk ; but the lower 
order of people generally wear a robe or shirt of white and 
black, or brown broad-striped stuff, as in Arabia ; and 
persons in easier circumstances, those employed about 
the temple, &c., wear the Turkish costume, with the kaouk, 

♦ Rae Wilson's Travels. 



CITIES^ ETC. JERUSALEM. 



287 



or high turban. The women cover themselves with a large 
white cloak or veil. I observed but very few handsome 
females ; on the contrary, they had mostly that bilious 
appearance so common in the East, a pale citron colour, 
or dead white, like plaster or paper. Sometimes, but 
very rarely, I saw one with a fine colour. They use a 
white fillet round the circumference of their faces, which 
gives them the appearance of walking corpses. Their 
cheeks are puffed np, their noses slender, and very com- 
monly their under lip is thicker and more prominent 
than the upper; their eyes are regular, but without 
vivacity, and very different from those of the women of 
Arabia, which sparkle with fire. They are besides 
ungraceful, and generally melancholy. Such is the 
miserable picture, but too true, of the women of Jeru- 
salem. As to their costume, I could onl}^ perceive their 
large white veil, which covers them from head to foot ; 
and I know not of what the rest of their dress is com- 
posed. The children, however, are much healthier and 
prettier than those of Arabia and Egypt. * 

The most celebrated and conspicuous buildings of the 
city are, the Mosque of Omar, and the Church of the 
Holy Sepulchre. 

THE MOSQUE OF OMAR. 

This is a Mohammedan temple of great magnificence 
and beauty, and, in point of sanctity, is second only to 
the Caaba at Mecca. It was built by the Caliph Omar, 
who conquered and took possession of Jerusalem, a. d. 637, 
and occupies the supposed site of Solomon's Temple. 
This is the sanctum sanctorum of the Mohammedan faith, 
and within this sacred enclosure none are permitted to 
enter but the followers of the Prophet. Father Roger, 

* Travels of Ali Bey 



288 



CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. 



a monkish traveller, who professes to have gained ad- 
mission into the temple by stratagem, assigns a curious 
reason for the extreme jealousy manifested by the Turks. 
They have a tradition, he says, that if a Christian were 
to gain access into the court of the temple, any prayer 
he might offer up there God would not fail to grant, 
even should he ask the expulsion of the Turks and the 
restoration of the city to the Christians. For this rea- 
son it is prohibited to all but members of their own 
faith. 

Dr. Eichardson was indebted purely to his profes- 
sional character, as a physician, for his influence with 
the Capo Verde, or Green Turban, the Mohammedan 
primate of Jerusalem ; and no other authority than his 
would have sufficed to ensure him either an introduction 
to the temple, or protection from the vengeance of the 
mob. The character of the physician is held in such 
estimation by the Orientals, as to partake of a sort of 
ecclesiastical sanctity. He who is a physician is pardoned 
for being a Christian ; religious and national prejudices 
disappear before him, and even the recesses of harems are 
thrown open to him. Dr. Richardson was permitted, in 
company with some of the principal Turks in Jerusalem^, 
four times to enter and inspect the sacred enclosure of the 
Stoa Sakhara, or Mosaue of Omar; and he has furnished 
us with a minute and lively description of this splendid 
monument of Sai acenic magnmcence. Laying aside his 
white burnouse, that he might not be detected to be a 
Christian by his colours, he put on a black abba of the 
Capo Verde's, and escorted by a black interpreter, ascend- 
ed the southern slope of Mount Moriah, passed the house 
of the Cadi, and entered the Haram Schereeff. 

"This is the name," observes the learned doctor, 
which is given to the whole space enclosed about the 
mosque, and is interpreted to mean the grand or noble 



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retirement for devotion. Proceeding forward a few 
yards^ we ascended a flight of steps, and got upon the 
Stoa Sakhara, an elevated platform, floored with marble 
all round the mosque ; from the door of which we were 
now distant but a few paces. On our arrival at the door, 
a gentle knock brought up the sacristan, who, apprized 
of our arrival, was waiting within to receive us. He 
demanded, rather sternly, who we were; and was 
answered by my black conductor in tones not less con- 
sequential than his own. The door immediately edged 
up, to prevent, as much as possible, the light from shin- 
ing out ; and we squeezed ourselves in with a light and 
noiseless step, although there was no person near who 
could be alarmed by the loudest sound of our bare feet 
upon the marble floor. The door was no sooner shut 
than the sacristan, taking a couple of candles in his 
hand, showed us all over the interior of this building; 
pointing, in the pride of his heart, to the elegant 
marble walls, the beautifully-gilded ceiling, the well at 
which the true worshipers drink and wash, with which 
we also blessed our palates and moistened our beards, 
the paltry reading-desk, with the ancient Koran, the 
handsome columns, and the green stone, with the won- 
derful nails. As soon as we had completed this circuit, 
pulling a key from his girdle, he unlocked the door of 
the railing which separates the outer from the innei 
part of the mosque, which, with an elevation of two or 
three steps, led us into the sacred recess. Here he 
pointed out the patches of mosaic in the floor, and the 
round flat stone which the Prophet carried on his arm in 
battle j directed us to introduce our hand through the 
hole in the wooden box to feel the print of the Prophet's 
foot ; and through the posts of the wooden rail to feel as 
well as to see the marks of the angel GabrieFs fingers, 
into which I carefully put my own, in the sacred stone 



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290 CITIES; ETC. JERUSALEM. 

that occupies the centre of the mosque^ and from which 
it derives the name of Sakhara^ or locked np ; over it is 
suspended a fine cloth of green and red satin, but this 
was so covered with dust, that, but for the information of 
my guide, I should not have been able to tell the com- 
posing colours j and, finally, he pointed to the door thsu 
leads into the small cavern below, of which he had not the 
key. I looked up to the interior of the dome ; but there 
being few lamps burning, the light was not sufiicient to 
show me any of its beauty, further than a general glance. 
The columns and curiosities were counted over again and 
again, thearcheswere specially examined and enumerated, 
to be sure that I had not missed or forgotten any of them. 
Writing would have been an ungracious behaviour, calcu- 
lated to excite a thousand suspicions, that next day would 
have gone to swell the general current of the city gossip, 
to the prejudice both of myself and my friend. Having 
examined the adytum, we once more touched the foot- 
step of the Prophet, and the finger-prints of the angel 
Gabriel, and descended the steps, over which the door 
was immediately secured. We viewed a second time the 
interior of the building, drank of the well, counted the 
remaining nails in the green stone, as well as the empty 
holes ; then, having put a dollar into the hands of the 
sacristan, which he grasped very hard with his fist while 
he obstinately refused it with his tongue, we hied us out 
at the gate of Paradise, Bab el Jennd, and, having made 
the exterior circuit of the mosque, we passed by the 
judgment-seat of Solomon, and descended from the Stoa 
Sakhara by another flight of steps into the outer field 
of this elegant enclosure. Here we put on our shoes 
and turning to the left, walked through the trees, that 
were but thinly scattered in the smooth grassy turf, to 
a house that adjoins the wall of the enclosure, which in 
this place is also the wall of the city, and which is said 



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to contain the throne of King Solomon. Here there 
was no admittance; and from this we proceeded to a 
stair which led up to the top of the wall, and sat down 
upon the stone on which Mohammed is to sit at the day 
of judgment, to judge the reimbodied spirits assembled 
beneath him in the Valley of Jehoshaphat. Descending 
from this seat of tremendous anticipation, which, if 
Mohammed were made of flesh and blood, would be as 
trying to him as his countenance would be alarming to 
the reimbodied spirits, we walked along the front of El 
Aksa, the other mosque, which occupies the side, as the 
Sakharadoes the centre, of the enclosure, and arrived at 
another fountain, where we again washed our beards and 
tasted the water. We had scarcely advanced half a dozen 
steps from the cooling wave, when a voice from the win- 
dow of the cadi^s house, as it appeared to me, called out 
'Who goes there T Had I been alone, and so challenged, 
I should have been puzzled for an answer, for my tongue 
would instantly have betrayed me, had I been inclined 
to counterfeit ; but my sable attendant replied, in a tone 

of surly and fearless confidence, ' Men, and 

what^s your business T The call was from some one of 
the santones of the mosque, of which Omar Effendi is the 
head ; and hearing the well-known voice of his myrmidon, 
the challenger slunk into his cell, and we continued our 
walk, without further interruption, round to the house 
of the governor, where, having made the circuit of the 
Haram Schereeff, we retraced our steps, passed out by 
the gate at which we entered, and regained the house of 
Omar Effendi. Here I laid aside the black abba, resumed 
my white burnouse, and walked into the room as gravely 
as if nothing had happened. The noble Turk, partici- 
pating in my joy, received me with a smiling counte- 
nance, made me sit down by his side, and inquired if I 
bad seen the Sakhara. I rejoined in the affirmative • 



292 



CITIESj ETC. JERUSALEM. 



and perceiving that the cause of my absence was no 
secret to those who were now assembled around him, I ex- 
pressed my high admiration of its beauty, and my sincere 
thanks to him for having permitted me the envied grati- 
fication of seeing what had been refused to the whole 
Christian world, during the long period of its appropriation 
to the religion of the Prophet, with the exception of De 
Hayes, the ambassador of Louis the Thirteenth, who did 
not avail himself of the permission. 

He next proceeded to examine me in detail on the 
different places that I had seen ; and when his queries 
were exhausted, I begged of hira to explain to me certain 
terms used by my guide, which I did not fully compre- 
hend, and afterwards to describe to me the interior of the 
dome. He regretted that the want of light had prevented 
me from seeing it, and was proceeding to supply the defect 
by a verbal description, when his brother, who was sitting 
on the other side of the divan, called out, ' Why don't you 
go in during the day V The question electrified me with 
joy j but considering it perhaps as a little rash, I looked 
at the Capo Verde before making any reply, when he 
speedily removed all doubt respecting his brother's pru- 
dence, by converting the query into the imperative sanc- 
tion of ' Yes, go in during the day.' This was no sooner 
said than cordially accepted ; and his brother and cousin, 
each moving his two fore-fingers in a parallel direction, 
said, ' Sava, Sava, we shall go in together as a token of 
friendship and respect.' Several other Turks did the 
same ; for in these countries the friendship of the principal 
person always ensures the officious and often troublesome 
attention of his inferiors and dependents. 

Next day, having previously provided myself with a 
pencil, which a friend was kind enough to lend me, I 
returned at noon to the house of the Capo Verde, which 
was the time and place fixed for our rendezvous, and imme« 
diately, in company with four well-dressed, long-bearded 



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JERUSALEM. 



293 



Turks, repaired to the Haram Scliereeff, which we entered 
by the same gate as I had done the evening before. 

This sacred enclosure is the sunny spot of Moslem 
devotion. There is no sod like that which covers the 
ample area of its contents, and no mosque at all com- 
parable to the Sakhara. Here the god of day pours his 
choicest rays in a flood of light, that, streaming all round 
upon the marble pavement, mingles its softened tints in 
the verdant turf, and leaves nothing to compare with or 
desire beyond. It seems as if the glory of the temple 
still dwelt upon the mosque, and the glory of Solomon 
still covered the site of his temple. 

On the same spot, and under the same sun, the 
memory conjures up a thousand delightful remem- 
brances, and contemplates in review the glorious house, 
the dedication and prayer of the wisest of kings, spread- 
ing forth his hands in the midst of his people, the 
fire descending upon the burnt-offering and the sacrifice, 
and the glory of the Lord filling the house ; with the 
people bowing down with their faces to the pavement, 
and worshiping and praising the Lord, ' for he is good, 
for his mercy endureth for ever.-' The spectator forgets 
that it is a house of foreign devotion, and feels as if, in 
the radiant opalescence of its light, an inviting ray^ 
^as sent forth to the heart of every returning Israelite 
to this ancient centre of prayer. There is no reflected 
light like the light from the Sakhara: like the glorious 
sun itself, it stands alone in the world, and there is but 
one spot on earth, where all things typical were done 
away, that sinks with a deeper interest into the heart 
of the Christian. 

The dimensions of this noble enclosure, as furnished 
me by the cousin of Omar Efl'endi, are, in length, 660 
peeks of Constantinople, that is, about 1489 feet, 
measuring from the Arch of Prayer in El Aksa to the 



;^94 CITIES^ ETC. JERUSALEM. 

Bab el Salam, or Gate of Peace, which is the name of the 
gate on the opposite end. In breadth it is 440 peeks, or 
995 feet, measuring from Allah Dien to the Gate Beseri on 
the west. 

This spacious square is enclosed on the east and on the 
south by the wall of the city ; through which there is only 
one gate, and that leads into El Aksa on the south. 
There were formerly two gates on the east side, and 
the Gate of Tobet, Bab el Tobe, both of which are now 
built up. The other two sides of the square are in the 
town. The west side is enclosed by a line of Turkish 
houses, and is entered by five gates ; the north side is 
enclosed partly by a wall, and partly by Turkish houses, 
and is entered by three gates. Having passed in by 
either of these gates, the visitor enters what may be 
called the outer court of the Haram Schereefi", which 
is a fine smooth, level space all round the Stoa Sakhara, 
falling with a gentle slope towards the east, and covered 
with a thick sward of grass, with orange, olive, cypress, 
and other trees, scattered over it in difi'erent places, 
but nowhere forming a thicket. 

In the sacred retirement of this charming spot, the 
followers of the Prophet delight to saunter or repose 
as in the Elysium of their devotion ; and arrayed in the 
gorgeous costume of the East, add much to the beauty, 
the interest, and solemn stillness of the scene, which 
they seem loth to quit either in going to or coming 
from the house of prayer. In the midst of this court, 
but nearer to the west and south sides, there is an 
elevated platform, which is about 450 feet square, and 
is called Stoa Sakhara; some parts of it are higher than 
others, as the ground on which it is erected is more or 
less elevated, but it may be said to average about 
twelve or fourteen feet above the level of the grassy- 
court. It is accessible on all sides by a number of 



CITIES^ ETC. JERUSALEM, 



295 



spacious stairs_, that appear to liave answered originally 
to exterior gates of entrance into the Haram Schereeff. 
There are three on the west side, two on the north, 
one on the east side, and tvro on the south : that on 
the east fronts the obstructed golden gate ; it is more 
worn than any of the rest, and much in want of repair. 
These stairs are all surmounted at the top with lofty 
arches j some of them have four arches, so that one 
stair leads to four entrances into the Stoa Sakhara, 
and has a most magnificent and triumphal appearance. 

The platform, or Stoa Sakhara, is paved with fine po- 
lished marble, chiefly white, with a shade of blue ; some 
of the stones look very old, are curiously wrought and 
carved, and have evidently belonged to a former building. 
There are no trees on the Stoa Sakhara, but there are 
tufts of grass in many places, from the careless manner 
in which it is kept, which afi'ord. great relief to the eye 
from, the intense glare of light and heat reflected from 
the marble pavement. Round the edge of the Stoa Sak- 
hara, there are numbers of small houses ; five of which 
on the north side are occupied by santones or religious 
ascetics ; one on the south is for the doctors of the law 
to hold their consultations in ; one on the west for con- 
taining the oil for painting the brick and tile for the' 
repair of the Sakhara; the rest are places of private 
prayer for the different sects of Mussulmans, or believers, 
which is the meaning of the word. 

But the great beauty of the platform, as well as of the 
whole enclosure, is the Sakhara itself, which is nearly in 
the middle of the platform, and but a little removed from 
the south side; it is a regular octagon of about sixty feet 
a side, and is entered by four spacious doors. Bab el 
Garbi on the west; Bab el Shergy, or Bab Nebbe Daoud, 
or Gate of the prophet David on the east ; Bab el Kabla, 
or Gate towards which the Mussulman turns his face in 



296 CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. 

prayer, on the south ; and Bab el Jenne, or Gate of the 
Garden, on the north. Each of these doors is adorned 
with a porch, which projects from the hne of the building, 
and rises considerably up on the wall. The lower stoiy of 
the Sakhara is faced with marble, the blocks of which are 
of different sizes, and many of them evidently resting on 
the side or narrowest surface. They look much older on a 
close inspection than they do when viewed from a distance, 
and their disintegration indicates a much greater age than 
the stones of the houses, said to have been built in the time 
of the mother of Constantino the Great ; and probably 
both they and the aged stones in the flooring on the Stoa 
Sakhara, formed part of the splendid temple that was de- 
stroyed by the Komans. Each side of the Sakhara is 
panneled ; the centre stone of one pannel is square, of 
another it is octagonal, and thus they alternate all round : 
the sides of each pannel run down the aDgles of the build- 
ing like a plain pilaster, and give the appearance as if the 
whole side of the edifice was set in a frame. The marble 
is white with a considerable tinge of blue, and square pieces 
of blue marble are introduced in dififerent places, so as to 
give the whole a pleasing effect. There are no windows in 
the marble part or lower story of the building. The upper 
story of this elegant building is faced with small tiles of 
about eight or nine isches square ; they are painted of 
different colours, white, yellow, green, and blue, but blue 
prevails throughout. They are covered with sentences 
from the Koran ; though of this fact I could not be certain, 
on account of the height, and my imperfect knowledge of 
the character : there are seven well-proportioned windows 
on each side, except where the porch rises high, and then 
there are only six, one of which is generally built up, so 
that only five are effective. The whole is extremely light 
and beautiful ; and from the mixture of the soft colours 
above, and the panneled work and blue and white tinge of 



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297 



the marble below, the eye is more delighted with behold- 
ing it than any building I ever saw. 

The admiration excited by the appearance of the 
exterior was not diminished by a view of the interior, 
the arrangements of which are so managed as to preserve 
throughout the octagonal form, agreeably to the ground 
plan of the building. The inside of the wall is white, 
without any ornament ; and I confess I am one of those 
who think ornaments misplaced in a house of prayer, 
or anything tending to distract the mind when it comes 
there to hold converse with its God. The floor is of 
grey marble, and was then much covered with dust 
from some repairs that were executing on the dome. 

A little within the door of the Bab el Jenne, or west 
door, there is a flat polished slab of green marble, which 
forms part of the floor. It is about fourteen inches 
square, and was originally pierced by eighteen nails, 
which would have kept their place, but for the amazing 
chronometrical virtues with which they were endowed. 
For such is their magical temper, that they either hold 
or quit, according to the times ; and, on the winding up 
of each great and cardinal event, a nail has regularly 
been removed to mark its completion; and so many of 
these signal periods have already rolled by, each clenched 
by an accompanying nail, that now only three and a half 
remain, fourteen and a half having been displaced in a 
supernatural manner. I was anxious to learn what great 
event had drawn the first nail, the second, the third, and 
so onward in succession; whether they had taken their 
departure one at a time, or had fled in divided portions, 
as seems to be the fashion now ; or whether the sly disap- 
pearance of half a nail marked the silent course of time 
in the accomplishment of half an event, as that of a whole 
nail indicated the consummation of one whole event. 
But on all these important points I could learn nothing 



2q 



298 



CITIES, ETC. —JERUSALEM. 



neither could any one inform me when the last half nail 
took its flight, nor when the other half was expected to 
follow. It is an equally recondite matter, known only to 
the wise in wonders, how the nails got into the stone, as 
how they get out of it. T'lus much, however, the hiero- 
phants vouchsafed to communicate, that, when all the 
nrils shall have made thei*' escape, all the events con- 
'mned in the great map cf time will then have been un- 
folded, a^d that there will then be an end of the world, 
or nothing but a doll monotonous succession till the final 
consummation of all things. "My conductor also gravely 
informed me, that underneath this stone, Solomon, the 
son of David, lies buried. -^^^11 of which solemn nonsense 
it was proper for me to hear, without appearing to doubt 
either the information, or the source &om which it came. 

The well at the inside of the Bab el Garbe, the read- 
ing-desk, and the ancient copy of the Koran, have been 
already mentioned; to which I may add the awkward 
narrow wooden staircase that leads to the top of the 
building: and tliese comprise all the objects worthy of 
notice that occur between the wall and the first row of 
columns within the Sakhara. 

There are twenty-four columns in the first row, placed 
paral'el with the eight sides of the building, three oppo- 
site to each side, so as still to preserve the octagonal 
form. They are all of the same kind of marble, but 
rather of a darker hue than that on the exterior of the 
building. Eight of them are large square plain columns, 
of no order of architecture, and all placed opposite to 
the eight entering angles of the edifice; they are in- 
dented on the inner side, so that they furnish an acute 
termination to the octagonal lines within. Between 
every two of the square columns there are two round 
columns, well proportioned, and resting on a base. They 
are from eighteen to twenty feet high, with a sort of 



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299 



Corinthian capital. I did not remark that it was gilt, 
whichj had it been the case, I think I must have done, 
having specially noted that the leaf is raised, and turned 
over, but that I did not consider it the true leaf of the 
Corinthian capital. A large square plinth of marble 
extends from the top of the one column to the other, 
and above it there are constructed a number of arches 
all round. The abutments of two separate arches rest 
upon the plinths above the capital of each column, so 
that there are three arches opposed to each side of the 
building, making twenty-fonr in the row of columns. 
The arches are slightly pointed, and support the inner 
end of the roof, or ceiling, which is of wood plastered, 
and ornamented in compartments of the octagonal form, 
and highly gilt ; the outer end of the roof rests upon the 
walls of the building. The intercolumnal space is vacant • 
Not so in the inner circle of columns, to which we now 
proceed. They are about two paces from the outer row, 
and are only sixteen in number. There are four large 
square columns, one opposed to each alternate angle of 
the building, and three small round columns between 
each of them. Their base rests upon an elevation of 
the floor, and they are capitaled and surmounted with 
arches, the same as in the outer row : this inner row of 
columns supports the dome. The intercolumnal space 
is occupied by a high iron railing, so that all entrance 
to the holy stone, or centre of the mosque, is completely 
shut up, except by one door, which is open only at 
certain hours for the purposes of devotion. 

This central compartment is elevated about three 
feet above the outer floor, and the ascent to it is by 
a flight of four steps. On entering it along with the 
Turks, we found there several rather shabbily-dressed 
ill-looking people engaged in their devotions. One of 
them was a female, of a mean rustic appearance, and 



300 



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go extremely stupid, that slie was praying with her 
face to the west; which so provoked one of my con- 
ductors, that he went up and roused her from her 
s:nees, and having given her a hearty scolding, turned 
ner round, and made her pray with her face to the 
south, which she very obediently did without any 
demur. Within this row of columns the floor is also 
paved with marble, and the blue and white columns are 
so mixed, as in some places to form a sort of mosaic. 
Proceeding on to the right, we came to a round flat 
stone of polished marble, which is raised high, and 
attached to the side of one of the square columns. 
This stone, I was informed, the Prophet carried on his 
arm in battle. It is a ponderous and a very unlikely 
shield. It is broken through the middle, probably 
from a blow aimed at its master by an infidel hand. 
Opposite to this, and on the end of the holy stone, 
which I am about to describe, there is a high, square 
wooden box, with an opening on one side of it, large 
enough to admit the hand to feel the print of Mo- 
hammed^s foot, which he left there, either when he 
prayed or when he flew up to heaven. I put in my hand 
and touched it, to stroke my face and beard, as I saw 
the Mussulmans do. It is so completely covered that it 
cannot be seen. 

But that to which this temple owes both its name and 
existence is a large irregular oblong mass of stone that 
occupies the centre of the mosque. It is a mass of com- 
pact limestone, the same as that of the rock on which the 
city stands, and of the other mountains about Jerusalem ; 
and if I had not been told that it is a separate stone, I 
should have imagined it a part of the native rock that had 
been left unremoved, when the other parts were leveled 
down for the foundation of the building. It rises highest 
towards the south-west corner, and falls abruptly at the 



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301 



end where are the prints of the Prophet's foot. It is 
irregular on the upper surface, the san^e as when it was 
broken from the quarry. It is enclosed all round with a 
wooden railing about four feet high, and which, in every 
place, is nearly in contact with the stone. I have already 
mentioned that there is a large cover of variously-coloured 
satin suspended above it, and nothing can be held in 
greater veneration than the Hadjr el Sakhara, or the 
hcked-iip stone. Under it there is an apartment dug in 
the solid rock, which is entered by a stair that opens to 
the south-east. But into this excavation I never was 
admitted, although I was four times in the mcsque, and 
went there twice v/ith the express assurance that I should 
be shoY^Ti into it. Iloweyer, v/hen 1 arrived, the key was 
ilways wanting; and when the keeper of it was sought 
for, he never could be found. They assured me, however, 
\hat it was very small, and that it contained nothing but 
fobes ; and Ali Bey, who having professed himself a 
Mussulman, visited this excavation, says, that it is an 
irregular square of about eighteen feet in circumference, 
and eight feet high in the midale ; — that in the bottom it 
sontains two marble tablets, one of which is called the 
Place of David, the other the Place of Solomon ; two 
niches, the one of which is called the Place of Abraham, 
the other the Place of Gabriel ; and, lastly, a stone table, 
Makam el Hodar, wiiich is rendered by liim the Place of 
Elias ; but the name Hodar was always translated to me 
St. George, as Maharab el Hodar, the Arch of St. George; 
and though the I\Iussulmans frequently confound the two 
vet, I believe, they never give Elias the name of Hodar. 

However, this stone has other ^^eighty pretensions to 
the veneration of the Mohammedans than the print of the 
a ^gel GabrieFs fingers or the Prophet's foot ; for, like the 
Palladium of ancient Troy, it fell from heaven, and lighted 
on this very spot, at the time that prophecy commenced 



302 CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. 

in Jerusalem. Here the ancient Prophets sat, ana 
prophesied, and prayed; and as long as the spirit of 
vaticination continued to visit the holy men in the holy 
city, the stone remained quief ^or their accommodation ; 
but when prophecy ceased, and the persecuted seers 
girt up their loins and fled, the stone, out of sympathy, 
wished to accompany them ; but the angel Gabriel inter- 
posed his friendly aid, and, grasping the stone with a 
mighty hand, arrested its flight, and nailed it to its rocky 
bed till the arrival of Mohammed; who, horsed on the 
lightning's wing, flew thither from Mecca, joined the 
society of 70,000 ministering angels, and, having offered 
up his devotions to the throne of God, fixed the stone 
immoveably in this holy spot, around which the Kalif 
Omar erected the present elegant structure. 

Having satisfied ourselves with the interior and lower 
part of the mosque, we ascended the narrow and comfort- 
less wooden stair to the top of it : and in our ascent, had a 
full view of the immense wooden beams that compose the 
ceiling. The roof of the mosque is covered with lead, from 
the wall to the dome. It slopes gently, so that we walked 
along it with ease. The walls rise above it about seven 
feet, so that no part of the roof is visible from the ground 
below. The wall of the dome is round, and the sides of the 
perpendicular part of it are faced up with blue, green, white, 
and yellow painted tiles, the same as the upper part of the 
building. Blue is the prevailing colour. It is divided into 
alternate compartments of close and reticulated work ; and 
is covered in at the top with lead, the same as the roof of 
\he building. It was then undergoing repair. The work- 
men were taking out the old bricks, which were much de- 
cayed, and introducing new ones, which were painted after 
a different pattern ; but all of us thought that the old work 
was better, and the patterns handsomer than the new. 
The scaffolding erected for these repairs so obstructed the 



CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. 303 

admission of light into tlie interior of the dome, that I 
never had a satisfactory view of it. From what I saw, it 
exhibited a faint but elegant display of various colours : 
and I was informed that it was excessively brilhant, and 
was ornamented with different kinds of precious stones. 
Tlie height of the dome is about ninety feet, and the 
diameter about forty feet. From the roof of the mosque 
there is a delightful Yiew of the city and scenery about 
Jerusalem, in the contemplation of which we remained 
about an hour. 

Leaving the Sakhara, we proceeded to the Mosque el 
Aksa, the name given to the other house of devotion con- 
tained within this sacred enclosure; though a very fine and 
elegant mosque in the interior, it is greatly inferior to it, 
both in beauty and sanctity. It is also called the Mosque 
of the Women, because it contains a separate place as- 
signed them for praj^er; and Djamai Omar, or Mosque 
of the Kalif Omar, who used to pray in it. The place in 
which he performed his devotions is still exhibited. Thia 
was anciently a church, and in the Christian days of the 
Holy City was called the Church of the Presentation, 
meaning thereby, of the infant Jesus ; or of the Purifi- 
cation, meaning thereby, of the Virgin Mary. A narrow 
aisle on the right, off the body of the church, is shown 
as the place where she presented her Son in the temple. 
The mosque is in the form of a long square, and would 
answer very well for a Christian church at present, were 
it not for the superabundance of columns in the anterior, 
which assimilate it more to an Egyptian temple. 

The Mosque el Aksa lies to the south of the Sakhara, 
and close to the southern wall of the enclosure, which is 
also the wall of the city. It is nearly opposite to the Kob 
el Kebla, which is by far the finest door of the Sakhara, 
Between the two there is a beautiful fountain, called the 
orange fountain, from a clump of orange-trees which grow 



304 



CITIES, ETC, 



JERUSALEM. 



near it. It has seven arelies in front, whicli are slightly 
pointed ; and three square abutments, which support the 
front of the building, look like so many square columns. 
These arches cover a piazza, which affords an agreeable 
walk all along the front of the building. The door of 
entrance is in the centre, andopens into the middle aisle 
of the mosque, which is remarkably clean and spacious, 
and covered with mats. The ceiling is flat, and supported 
by three rows of columns on each hand. The two middle 
rows are round, the others are square, and all are sur- 
mounted by arches, as in the Sakhara, and coarsely finished. 
Elegance is not the boast of this house of Moslem devo- 
tion. Three large lamps suspended from the ceiling, with 
three burners in each, served to light it up during 
the night. The apartment for the females is enclosed 
on the left At the further end of the aisle, fronting the 
door, there is a large pulpit, v/hich is highly ornamented 
with pieces of variegated marble, as if it had formed part 
of a Christian altar, and adorned with two marbie columr 6 
on each side, and arched over the top like an ai'sr.d;. 
Standing immediately in front of this, we are .^irect y 
under the Kob el Aksa, or dome of El Aksa, which .s 
supported by four large columns, surmounted by arches, 
as in the Sakhara. The dome is painted of different 
colours, and lighted by windows in the side. The glass 
in these windows is also painted blue, yellow, red, and 
green. The light admitted through such a medium is 
sjfcened and delightful, and calculated to inspire senti- 
ments suited to a place of worship. To the right,, near 
the pulpit, there is a small place enclosed with a wooden 
rail, and covered with green cushions, for the Cadi. Near 
t) this there is a separate place for the singers. Up a 
narrow stone stair I was shown a small room appropriated 
to the devotions of the Sultan j but the state of disrepair 
in which it then was, show^s that the sublime potentate. 



CITIES^ ETC. 



■JERUSALEM. 



305 



or his representative^ seldom visits this place of prayer. 
On the left, in a direct line from the pulpit, there is a 
long uncomfortable vault, in which the Kalif Omar used 
to pray. Between this and the apartment built off for the 
females, in a recess formed by building up the space 
between two of the columns, there is a niche in the wall, 
at which the Mussulmans pray, called the door of mercy. 
Though I was escorted by some of the principal Turks 
of the Holy City, yet I easily perceived their anxiety that 
I shoLdd be as little observed as possible ; and although 
some of the Moslems whom I met condescended to salute 
me in a friendly manner, yet others looked perfectly 
savage, and one of them even remonstrated with the 
chamberlain of Omar Effendi for bringing me there. 

Here I would beg leave to remark, that if this mosque. 
El Aksa, be built on the site of Solomon^s Temple, the 
Sakhara cannot occupy the site of the Holy of Holies ; 
for the two are at a greater distance from each other 
than the whole length of Solomon^s Temple, which was 
only ninety feet. The door of mercy probably occupies 
the place of the mercy-seat ; and the two large granite 
columns were probably exhibited in the days of its 
Romanism, as the successors of the two brazen pillars, 
Jachin and Boaz, that ornamented the porch of the 
Temple of Solomon. 

Erom El Aksa we proceeded to the south-east corner 
of the enclosure ; where the keeper having unlocked 
the door, we descended a flight of steps, and came into 
a small square chamber, which is called the Grotto of 
Sidn Aisa, or Grotto of the Lord Jesus. It contains 
the Sereer Sidn Aisa, the bed or tomb of the Lord 
Jesus, which is in the form of a sarcophagus, with a 
-small round pillar erected on each angle, supporting a 
canopy above. The pillars are jagged or fretted both 
at top and bottom, and plain and polished in the 

2 R 



306 



CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. 



middle. The bed or sarcophagus is of the common 
compact limestone of the country. It could never 
have been a bath, for it is not capacious enough to hold 
an adequate depth of water, and it is cut and formed 
exactly in the same manner as the excavations for the 
reception of the bodies in what are called the tombs of 
the kings of Judah. The columns ai-e of variegated 
marble, and are apparently of Eoman workmanship^ 
and seem to have been erected with the view of sup- 
porting a curtain to be drawn or withdrawn according 
as the object which it covered was to be seen or con- 
cealed. In the same chamber there were three other 
stone troughs of a similar description, but without 
any columns, which were severally denominated the 
beds of Mary, of John, and of Zacharias — the three 
persons most particularly indicated in the New Testa- 
ment as connected -with the appearance of the Messiah. 
And when we consider that Jerusalem, in the early 
ages of Christianity, was entirely a Christian city, 
perhaps we do not go too far in stating, that this 
grotto and these stone troughs were once exhibited by 
the religious hierophants, as the Holy Sepulchi'e, and 
the others as the tombs of the different individuals 
whose names they bear. "When the Saracens captured 
the city, they took the Christian Church of the Purifica- 
tion, the Grotto of Sidn Aisa, retained the tombs that 
they found within, and called them by the names which 
the Christians had given them, as the Tui'ks still con- 
tinue to do. 

From the Grotto of Sidn Aisa, we descended another 
flight of steps, and came into what is called the Berca 
Solymon, — a subterranean colonnade, raised to sup- 
port the lower edge of the enclosure called Haram 
Schereeff and a small superincumbent building, appro- 
priated for the devotion of the sect Hanbali. The tops 



CITIES^ ETC. 



JERUSALEM. 



307 



■'^ tlie columns are surmounted by arches, the same as 
those in the Sakhara and El Aksa. The columns are 
about four feet and a half square, and consist of three 
stones each ; each stone is about five feet long, and is 
bevelled at the ends and at the corners, so that the 
joinings form a small niche, like revealed rustic. The 
stones have been remarkably well cut; but they are 
much more disintegrated than they are hkely to have 
become in the station that they at present occupy, 
during the period of 1100 years; and have a much 
older appearance than the arches which they support. 
The style of cutting and joining the stones that we see 
in these columns, is quite different from any other 
architecture in Jerusalem, and from anything that I 
have ever seen, except in the foundation-stones in the 
temple or castle at Baalbec. The Turks ascribe the 
erection of these columns to Solomon, the son of David. 
We are informed that the inner court of Solomon^s 
Temple was built of three rows of hewn stone, and a 
row of cedar beams ; and the order from Cyrus for re- 
building the temple, mentions three rows of great 
stones and a row of new timber. It is not improbable 
that these columns are constructed of the stones above 
mentioned: the workmanship, in my opinion, is de- 
cidedly Jewish. 

Some of the arches appear to have been giving way, 
and are built up by a sohd wall passing between the two 

lumns. The different arches are characterised by dif- 
ferent names. One is called the Arch of Aaron, the 
brother of Moses; another is called the Arch of the 
Apostles ; and a third is called the Arch of St. George. 
There was a small and apparently accidental opening, as 
if the earth had dropped through from the haram or outer 
court of the enclosure. This they called the private 
entrance of Solomon, the son of David ; and between 



308 



CITIESj ETC. JERUSALEM. 



the first row of columns and the wall on the rights whence _ 
I entered the colonnade, they showed me a large slab that 
covers a stone chest, in which Solomon had shut up the 
devil, because he had neglected his orders to bring him 
his favourite queen Belgeess, at a time when he was very 
impatient to see lier. I have told the tale as it was told 
to me, and as it is believed by every Mussulman in Jeru- 
salem. The Koran sets forth, that sundry devils were 
under the command of Solomon, to dive to get him pearls, 
and do him other works besides. The whole of this sub- 
terraneous colonnade is called Habsul, or the hidden; 
and when we compare the accumulation of rubbish ir 
other parts of the town with the depth of the rubbish in 
the Haram Schereeff, I think there is little doubt that 
the columns once were above ground. They rest upon 
rock or large coarse stones regularly laid. The Turks 
informed me that there are 3000 such columns under 
El Aksa. 

Leaving the colonnade, we ascended the steps, passed 
through the Grotto of Sidn Aisa, regained the open air, 
and proceeded along the side of the eastern wall of the 
Haram Schereeff to the house which contains the Coursi 
Solymon, or throne of Solomon ; but there was no key ; 
and in looking at the window, I merely saw the five 
brass knobs that adorned the arms and top of the chair, 
looking through the curtain of green cloth with which it 
was covered. As we passed along to it from the subter- 
raneous colonnade above mentioned, we saw, in two 
places where the ground had been turned up, several 
fragments of marble columns ; and wherever the sward 
was broken, the ground below exhibited a conglomera- 
tion of rubbish of former buildings that had anciently 
adorned this sacred enclosure, now levelled and smoothed 
over for its present use. 

There are four sects amongst the Mussulmans who are 
accounted orthodox. The first, and at present the most 



CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. 



309 



respected, is that of the Hanifites^, so named from Father 
Hanifahj its founder^ who was born at Coufah, on the 
Euphrates,, in the eightieth year of the Hedjra^ and died 
in prison at Bagdad in the seventieth year of his age. 
The Turks and Tartars^the sultans, kings, and judges, are 
of this sect. The last-mentioned hold public discussions, 
deliver public orations, and are called the followers of 
reason. If a person be Hable to any sudden discharge of 
blood, and it should surprise him in the time of his de- 
votions, by the laws of the sect he must not wait to finish 
them, but must immediately retire and wash ; and when 
the hemorrhage is stopped, may return and conclude his 
prayers. If, however, he change his sect, which he may 
do to that of Shafei, he may continue his devotions not- 
withstanding the presence of his infirmity. Military or 
naval commanders are never of this sect. The elegant 
mosque of the Sakhara belongs to it, and is exclusively 
their appropriate place of prayer, though those of other 
sects occasionally frequent it. 

The second orthodox sect of Mussulmans is that of 
Malek, who was born in Medina about the ninetieth year 
of the Hedjra, and died there in the 178th year of the 
same epoch. He is chiefly followed in Egypt, Barbary 
and other parts of Africa. They have a place of prayer _ 
in the south-west corner of the Haram Schereefi^. 

The third orthodox sect is that of Shafei, who was 
born at Gaza, or Askelon, in the 150th year of the 
Hedjra, was educated at Mecca, and died in Egypt in 
the 204th year of the same epoch. The members of 
this sect say their prayers in El Aksa. 

The fourth orthodox sect is that of Hanbal, who was 
born in the 164th year of the Hedjra, and died at Bagdad 
in the year 241 of the same epoch. The place of prayer 
belonging to this sect is in the north-east corner of the 
Haram Schereeff ; but there is none of them in Jerusalem 



310 



CITIES^ ETC. JERUSALEM. 



at present. They are chiefly confined to Mecca, though 
some of them are still to be found in Nabloiis and 
DamascuB, 

Notwithstanding that each of these sects has a separate 
place of prayer assigned to it within these holy precincts, 
yet, on Fridays, which is the Mussulman^s Sabbath, they 
all pray together in El Aksa, and, in the times of their 
festivals, all pray on the platform, or Stoa Sakhara. I do 
not exactly know the particular points in which these four 
sects differ from each other. All are understood to be 
equally orthodox expounders of the Koran ; and I believe 
the principal differences consist in the degrees of attention 
that each thinks it necessary to bestow on his person pre- 
viously to engaging in the ceremonies of his religion."* 

With the exception of Ali Bey, who passed for a 
Moslem, and Father Roger, (if his account is to be 
credited,) Dr. Richardson is perhaps the only Frank who 
has gained admission into the interior of this sacred 
edifice since the days of the Crusades. A Christian, or a 
Jew entering within the precincts of the Sakhara, must 
either renounce his religion and become a follower of the 
Prophet, or die on the spot for his temerity. Sir F. Hen- 
niker states, that a few days before he visited Jerusalem, 
a Greek Christian entered the mosque. He was a Turkish 
subject, and servant to a Turk ; he was invited to change 
his religion, but refused, and was immediately murdered 
by the mob. His body remained exposed in the street ; 
and a passing Mussulman, kicking up the head, exclaimed. 

That is the way I would serve all Christians.'''' 

CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE. 

There is no single building within the walls of Jeru- 
salem which excites a more intense interest in the mind 



Dr. RicLardson's Trav is 



CITIES, ETC, 



-JERUSALEM. 



311 



of the Christian traveller, or which has afforded wider 
scope for speculation, than the Church of the Holy 
Sepulchre. This church was built by the empress 
Helena, the mother of Constantino, and covers the 
supposed spot of our Saviour^s interment. It is thus 
described by Mr. Stephens : — 

"The key of the church is kept by the governor 
of the city , the door is guarded by a Turk, and opened 
only at fixed hours, and then only with the consent of 
the three convents, and in the presence of their several 
dragomen ; an arrangement which often causes great 
and vexatious delays to such as desire admittance. This 
formality v/as probably intended for solemnity and effect, 
but its consequence is exactly the reverse ; for as soon 
as the door is opened, the pilgrims, who have almost 
always been kept waiting for some time, and have 
naturally become impatient, rush in, struggling with 
each other, overturning the dragomen, are thumped by 
the Turkish door-keepers, and driven like a herd of wild 
animals into the body of the church. I do not mean to 
exaggerate a picture, the lightest of whose shades is 
already too dark. I describe only what I saw, and with 
this assurance the reader must believe me when I say 
that I frequently considered it putting life and limb in 
peril to mingle in that crowd. Probably it is not always 
so; but there was at that time within the walls of 
Jerusalem from 10,000 to 20,000 pilgrims, and all had 
come to visit the Holy Sepulchre. 

Supposing, then, the rush to be over, and the traveller 
to have recovered from its effects, he will find himself 
in a large apartment, forming a sort of vestibule ; on the 
left, in a recess of the wall, is a large divan, cushioned and 
carpeted, where the Turkish door-keeper is usually 
sitting, with half a dozen of his friends, smoking the long 
pipe and drinking coffee, and always conducting himself 



312 



CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. 



with great dignity and propriety. Directly in front, sur- 
mounted by an iron railing, having at each end three 
enormous wax candles more than twenty feet high, and 
suspended above it a number of silver lamps of different 
sizes and fashions, gifts from the Catholic, Greek, and 
Armenian convents, is a long flat stone, called the Stone 
of Unction and on this, it is said, the body of our Lord 
was laid when taken down from the cross, and washed and 
anointed in preparation for sepulture. This is the first 
object that arrests the pilgrims in their entrance ; and 
here they prostrate themselves in succession, the old and 
the young, women and children, the rich man and the 
beggar, and all kiss the sacred stone. It is a slab of 
polished white marble ; and one of the monks, whom I 
questioned on the subject as he rose from his knees, after 
kissing it most devoutly, told me that it was not the 
genuine stone, which he said was under it, the marble 
having been placed there as an ornamental covering, and 
to protect the hallowed relic from the abuses of the Greeks. 

On the left is an iron circular railing, in the shape of 
a large parrot's cage, having within it a lamp, and 
marking the spot where the women sat while the body 
was anointed for the tomb. In front of this is an open 
area, surrounded by high square columns, supporting a 
gallery above. The area is covered by a dome, imposing 
in appearance and effect ; and directly under, in the centre 
of the area, is an oblong building, about twenty feet long 
and twelve feet high, circular at the back, but square and 
finished with a platform in front ; and within this building 
is the Holy Sepulchre. 

Leaving for a moment the throng that is constantly' 
pressing at the door of the sepulchre, let us make the toui 
of the church. Around the open space under the dome 
are small chapels for the Syrians, Copts, Maronites, and 
other sects of Christians who have not, Uke the Catholics, 



CITIES^ ETC. JERUSALEM. 



313 



the Greeks and Armenians^ large chapels in the body of 
the church. Between two of the pillars is a small door, 
opening to a dark gallery, which leads, as the monks told 
me, to the tombs of Joseph and Nicodemus, between 
which and that of the Saviour there is a subterranean 
communication. These tombs are excavated in the rock, 
which here forms the floor of the chamber. Without any 
expectation of making a discovery, I remember that once, 
in prying about this part of the building alone, I took 
the little taper that hghted the chamber, and stepped 
down into the tomb ; and I had just time to see one of 
the excavations never could have been intended for a 
tomb, being not more than three feet long, when I 
heard the footsteps of pilgrim visitors, and scrambled 
out with such haste that I let the taper fall, put out the 
light, and had to grope my way back in the dark. 

Farther on, and nearly in range of the front of the 
sepulchre, is a large opening, forming a sort of court to 
the entrance of the Latin chapel. On one side is a 
gallery, containing a fine organ ; and the chapel is neat 
enough, and differs but little from those in the churches 
of Italy. This is called the Chapel of Apparition, where 
Christ appeared to the Virgin. Within the door, on the 
right, in an enclosure, completely hidden from view, is 
the Pillar of Flagellation, to which our Saviour was tied 
when he was scourged, before being taken into the pre- 
sence of Pontius Pilate. A long stick is passed through 
a hole in the enclosure, the handle being outside, and the 
pilgrim thrusts it in till it strikes against the piUar, when 
he draws it out and kisses the point. Only one half of the 
pillar is here ; the other half is in one of the churches at 
Home, where may also be seen the table on which our Sa- 
viour ate his last supper with his disciples, and the stone 
on which the cock crowed when Peter denied his Master ' 

Going back again from the door of the Chapel of 



314 



CITIES, ETC.— JERUSALEM. 



Appaiition, and turning to the left, on the right is the 
outside of the Greek chapel, which occupies the largest 
space in the body of the church ; and on the left is a 
range of chapels and doors, the first of which leads to 
the prison where, they say, our Saviour was confined be- 
fore he was led to crucifixion. In front of the door is an 
unintelligible machine, described as the stone on which 
our Saviour was placed when put in the stocks. I had 
never heard of this incident in the story of man^s 
redemption, nor, in all probability, has the reader ; but 
the Christians in Jerusalem have a great deal more oi 
such knowledge than they gain from the Bible. Even 
Paul* knew much that is not recorded in the Sacred 
Volume; for he had a book, written by a priest in 
Malta, and giving many particulars in the life of our 
Saviour which all the Evangelists never knew, or, 
knowing, have entirely omitted. 

Next is the chapel where the soldier who struck his 
spear into the side of the Redeemer, as he hung upon 
the cross, retired and wept over his transgression. 
Beyond this is the chapel where the Jews divided 
Christ^s raiment, and " cast lots for his vesture.^^ The 
next is one of the most holy places in the church, the 
Chapel of the Cross. Descending twenty-eight broad 
marble steps, the visitor comes to a large chamber, 
eighteen paces square, dimly lighted by a few distant 
lamps ; the roof is supported by four short columns 
with enormous capitals. In front of the steps is the 
altar, and on the right a seat on which the Empress 
Helena, advised by a dream where the true cross was 
to be found, sat and watched the workmen who were 
diggmg below. Descending again fourteen steps, 
another chamber is reached, darker and more dimly 
lighted than the first, and hung with faded red 

* A native servant who attended Mr. Stephens in his travelc. 



OITIESj ETC. JERUSALEM. 315 

tapestry j a marble slab, having on it a figure of the 
cross, covers the mouth of the pit in which the true 
cross was found. The next chapel is over the spot 
where our Sa\dour was crowned with thorns ; and 
under the altar, protected by an iron grating, is the 
very stone on which he sat. Then the visitor arrives 
at Mount Calvary. 

A narrow marble staircase of eighteen steps leads to 
a chapel about fifteen feet square, paved with marble in 
mosaic, and hung on all sides with silken tapestry and 
lamps dimly burning; the chapel is divided b}^ two 
short pillars, hung also with silk, and supporting quad- 
rangular arches. At the extremity is a large altar 
ornamented with paintings and figures ; and under the 
altar, a circular silver plate, with a hole in the centre, 
indicating the spot in which rested the step of the 
cross. On each side of the hole is another, the two 
designating the places where the crosses of the two 
thieves were erected ; and near by, on the same marble 
platform, is a cre\dce about three feet long and three 
inches wide, having brass bars over it and a covering 
of silk. Removing the covering, by the aid of a lamp, 
I saw beneath a fissure in the rock; and this, say the 
monks, is the rock which was rent asunder when our 
Saviour, in the agonies of death, cried out from the 
cross, ^'Mj God, my God, why hast thou forsaken 
me Descending to the floor of the church, under- 
neath is an iron grating which shows more distinctly 
the fissure in the rock ; and directly opposite is a large 
monument over the head of — Adam ! 

The reader will probably think that all these things 
are enough to be comprised under one roof; and having 
finished the tour of the church, I returned to the great 
object of the pilgrimage to Jerusalem — the Holy 
Sepulchre. Taking ofi" the shoes on the marble plat- 



316 



CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. 



form in front, the visitor is admitted by a low door, on 
entering whicli the proudest head must needs do reve- 
rence. In the centre of the first chamber is the stone 
which was rolled away from the mouth of the sepulchre 
— a square block of marble, cut and polished; and, 
though the Armenians have lately succeeded in esta- 
blishing the genuineness of the stone in their chapel on 
Mount Zion, (the admission by the other monks, how- 
ever, being always accompanied by the assertion that 
they stole it,) yet the infatuated Greek still kisses and 
adores this block of marble as the very stone on which 
the angel sat when he announced to the women, He 
is not here : he is risen ; come see the place where the 
Lord lay.^-* Again bending the head, and lower than 
before, the visitor enters the inner chamber, the holiest 
of holy places. The sepulchre "hewn out of the 
rock" is a marble sarcophagus, somewhat resembling 
a common marble bathing tub, with a lid of the same 
material. Over it hang forty-three lamps, which burn 
without ceasing night and day. The sarcophagus is 
six feet one inch long, and occupies about one half of 
the chamber ; and one of the monks being always 
present to receive the gifts or tribute of the pilgrims, 
there is only room for three or four at a time to 
enter/'* 

The fathers of the Latin convent annually perform 
the crucifixion. Mr. Maundrell, who was present on 
one occasion, has given a full description of the dramatic 
ceremony ; — 

"Their ceremony begins on Good Friday night, 
which is called by them the nox tenebrosa, and is 
observed with such extraordinary solemnity, that I 
cannot omit to give a particular description of it. 



* Stepheno's Travels, pp. 469—476. 



CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. 317 

As soon as it grew dusk, all the friars and pilgrims 
were convened in the Chapel of the Apparition, (which 
is a small oratory on the north side of the holy grave, 
adjoining to the apartment of the Latins,) in order to 
go in a procession round the chiu'ch. But, before they 
set out, one of the friars preached a sermon in Itahan 
in that chapel. He began his discourse thus : ^ In quest a 
notte tenebrosa,' ^c, at which words all the candles were 
instantly put out to yield a livelier image of the occa- 
sion. And so we were held by the preacher, for near 
half an hour, very much in the dark. Sermon being 
ended, every person present had a large lighted taper 
put into his hand, as if it were to make amends for the 
former darkness ; and the crucifixes and other utensils 
were disposed in order for beginning the procession. 
Amongst the other crucifixes, there was one of a very 
large size, which bore upon it the image of our Lord, 
as big as the life. Tlie image was fastened to it with 
great nails, crowned with thorns, besmeared with blood : 
and so exquisitely was it formed, that it represented, in 
a very lively manner, the lamentable spectacle of our 
Lord^s body, as it hung upon the cross. This figure 
was carried all along in the head of the procession; 
after which, the company followed to all the sanctuaries 
in the church, singing their appointed hymn at every 
one. 

The first place they visited was that of the Pillar of 
Flagellation, a large piece of which is kept in a little 
cell, just at the door of the Chapel of the Apparition. 
There they sang their proper hymn ; and another friar 
entertained the company wdth a sermon in Spanish, touch- 
ing the scourging of our Lord. 

From hence they proceeded in solemn order to the 
prison of Christ, where they pretend he was secured 
whilst the soldiers made things ready for his cruci^ 



318 



CITIES. ETC 



JERUSALEM. 



lixion ; here^ likewise, they sang their hymn_, and a third 
friar preached in French. 

From the prison they went to the Altar of the Division 
of Christ^s Garments ; where they only sang their hymn, 
without adding any sermon. 

Having done here, they advanced to the Chapel of the 
Derision ; at which, after their hymn, they had a fourth 
sermon in French. 

From this place they went up to Calvary, leaving their 
shoes at the bottom of the stairs. Here are two altars to 
be visited : one where our Lord is supposed to have been 
nailed to the cross ; another where his cross was erected. 
At the former of these they laid down the great crucifix 
upon the floor, and acted a kind of resemblance of 
Christ^s being nailed to the cioss, and after the hymn, 
one of the friars preached another sermon in Spanish, 
upon the crucifixion. 

From hence they removed to the adjoining altar, where 
the cross is supposed to have been erected, bearing the 
image of our Lord's body. At this altar is a hole in the 
natural rock, said to be the one in which the foot of our 
Lord's cross stood. Here they set up their cross with the 
bloody crucified image upon it; and, leaving it in that 
posture, they first sang their hymn, and then the Father- 
guardian, sitting in a chair before it, preached a passion 
sermon in Italian. 

At about one yard and a half distance from the hole 
in which the foot of the cross was fixed, is seen that 
memorable cleft in the rock, said to have been made by 
the earthquake which happened at the suffering of the 
God of nature ; when (as St. Matthew, chap, xxvii. ver. 
51, 52, witnesseth) "the rocks rent, and the graves 
were opened. This cleft, as to what now appears of it, 
is about a span wide at its upper part, and two deep ; 
after which it closes • but it opens again below, (as you 



CITIES^ ETC.- JERUSALEM. 



319 



may see in another chapel^ contiguous to tlie side of 
CalvaryJ and runs down to an unknown depth in the 
earth. That this rent was made by the earthquake that 
happened at our Lord^s passion^ there is only tradition 
to prove : but that it is a natural and genuine breach, 
and not counterfeited by any a,rt_, the sense and reason 
of every one that sees it may convince him ; for the 
sides of it fit like two tallies to each other, and yet it 
runs in such intricate windings as could not well be 
counterfeited by art, nor arrived at by any instruments. 

The ceremony of the passion being over, and the 
Guardian's sermon ended, two friars, personating, the 
one Joseph of Arimathea, and the other Nicodemus, 
approached the cross, and with a most solemn, con- 
cerned air, both of aspect and beha^vdour, drew out the 
great nails, and took down the feigned body from the 
cross. It was an effigy so contrived that its limbs were 
soft and flexible, as if they had been real flesh ; and 
nothing could be more surprising than to see the two 
pretended mourners bend down the arms, which were 
before extended, and dispose them upon the trunk, in 
such a manner as is usual in corpses. 

The body, being taken down from the cross, was 
received in a fair large winding-sheet, and carried down 
from Calvary; the whole company attending, as before, 
to the Stone of Unction. 

Here they laid down their imaginary corpse, and, 
casting over it several sweet powders and spices, wrapt 
it up in the winding-sheet : whilst this was doing, they 
sang their proper hymn, and afterwards one of the 
friars preached in Arabic a funeral sermon. 

These obsequies being finished, they carried ofi" their 
fancied corpse, and laid it in the sepulchre, shutting up 
the door till Easter morning. 

On Easter morning the sepulchre was agam set open 



320 



CITIES, ETC. —JERUSALEM. 



very early. The clouds of tlie former morning were 
cleared up, and tlie friars put on a face of joy and 
serenity, as if it had been the real juncture of our 
Lord^s resurrection. Nor, doubtless, was this joy 
feigned, whatever their mourning might be, this being 
the day in which their Lenten discipline expired, and 
they were come to a full belly again. 

The mass was celebrated just before the Holy Sepul- 
chre, being the most eminent place in the chm^ch, 
where the Father- guardian had a throne erected ; and 
being arrayed in episcopal robes, with a mitre on his 
head, in the sight of the Turks, he gave the host to all 
that were disposed to receive it : not refusing childi'en 
of seven or eight years old. This office being ended, 
we made our exit out of the sepulchre, and, returning 
to the convent, dined with the friars. 

Dr. Richardson was not in Jerusalem in time to 
witness the celebration of the crucifixion by the Latin 
Church, but was present at the service of the Greek 
Church, on their anniversary of the resun'ection, 
"The rules of this Church,^-' he remarks, "do not 
permit the exhibition of graven images in their 
worship ; but as some sensible representation of the 
hodj of our Saviour was deemed necessary, either in 
the way of mockery or devotion, one apparently lifeless 
was extended on a board, and carried round the sepul- 
clire, with a mighty uproar; boys and men going 
alongside of it, striking fire trom flint. The ceremony 
began about eleven o^clock; the church was full in 
every quarter. The conduct of many of the attendants 
showed that they entered the holy place in a becoming 
frame of mind; these sat retired in the different 
chapels or recesses that surround the sepulchre, and 
were chiefly females. The galleries above were also 
crowded; many Turkish officers were present. The 



CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. 



321 



governor was expected, but did not arrive. The mob 
occupied the body of tlie house, and their behaviour was 
disorderly in the extreme; they hallooed and ran about, 
leaped on one another^s shoulders, revelling in the most 
unseemly manner, more like bacchanals or unchained 
maniacs, or a set of rioters at a fair, than celebrators 
of the resurrection of the blessed Jesus. Numbers of 
Turkish soldiers were placed in the church to act as 
constables, and did their best to preserve order and 
decency ; but, notwithstanding all their efforts in beat- 
ing them with clubs, pulling and thrusting them about 
like so many disorderly animals, the noise and uproar 
continued till about two o^clock, when the grand 
quackery of the day began to be played off by the 
grand charlatan, the Greek bishop of J erusalem ; for, 
with all possible respect for his sacred office, I cannot 
designate him or his exhibition by any other names that 
will adequately describe their character. The juggle 
attempted to be played off, is usually denominated the 
Grecian fire, which, it is pretended, bursts from the 
Holy Sepulchre in a supernatural manner on the anni- 
versary of this day, and at which all the pilgrims of 
this persuasion light their lamps and torches, believing 
that they have thus received fire from heaven. 

Before the ceremony commenced, the higher ecclesi- 
astics entered the sepulchre, and in a little time hght 
was perceived at a small window in its side. Thither 
all the people crowded in wild disorder, and lighted 
their torches at the flame, which, from the place where 
we stood, (the station of the organ belonging to the 
Roman Catholic church,) was distinctly seen to issue 
from a burning body, placed on the lower part of the 
window, within the tomb. This, when some of the 
wicks were of difficult accession, was raised up and 
pushed nearer ; at other times the flame was lowered 

2 T 



322 CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. 

down, and was out of sight, intimating that Heaven re- 
quired to draw its breath, and the fire to receive a fresh 
supply of combustible materials ; when again raised up, 
it burned with greater brilliancy, and, on becoming 
fainter, was again lowered down as before ; which 
showed that the priests meant to be very artful, and 
were in reality very ignorant; for I am sure there is 
not a pyrotechnist in London who would not have im- 
proved the exhibition. Thus, however, they continued 
raising the light when strong, and lowering it when it 
became faint, till all the torches were lighted. No one, 
like the Druids of old, under the pain of excommunica- 
tion, durst light his torch at that of another; all be- 
hoved to be regularly set on fire by the flame from the 
window, otherwise they were held in detestation all the 
year round. As soon, however, as this illumination was 
accomplished, the bishops and priests sallied forth from 
the tomb, and, joined by the other ecclesiastics who 
were waiting without in their canonicals, and with 
torches in their hands, all arranged themselves according 
to the precedency of their churches, Greeks, Armenians, 
Copts, Syrians, &c. &c., and marched three times round 
the church, bearing their flaming torches high above 
their heads. The effect was particularly brilliant, more 
especially when they passed down or came i*p from 
encompassing the Greek chapeL The torches, by this 
time, were either burnt out or extinguished, and here 
the ceremony closed. The priests laid aside their robes 
and their torches, and the multitude dispersed, more 
convinced of anything, if they reasoned at all, than of 
the celestial origin of the fire by which their torches had 
been lighted up. Need we be surprised that mono- 
theistical Moslems deride the Christian devotion, insult 
them to their face, and call them dogs and idolaters?'^* 

* Dr. Richardson's Travels. 



CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. 



323 



In MaundrelFs time, towards the end of tlie proces- 
sion, "there was a pigeon came fluttering into the 
cupola over the Sepulchre, at the sight of which there 
was a greater shout and clamour than before. This bird," 
he adds, " the Latins told us, was purposely let fly by the 
Greeks, to deceive the people into the opinion that it was 
a visible descent of the Holy Ghost." The Latins took a 
great deal of pains to expose the whole ceremony as a 
most shameful imposture, and a scandal to the Christian 
religion; "perhaps out of envy," he remarks, "that 
others should be masters of so gainful a business ; but 
the Greeks and Armenians pin their faith upon it, and 
make their pilgrimages chiefly upon this motive ; and it 
is the deplorable unhappiness of their priests, that having 
acted the cheat so long already, they are forced now to 
stand to it, for fear of endangering the apostacy of their 
people 

Before taking our leave of this "sumptuous edifice," 
it will be necessary to consider the much-vexed question 
whether the localities pointed out as Calvary and the 
tomb of our Lord are real or fictitious. The affirmative 
of this question was undisputed till the time of Dr. 
Clarke ; and that lea^rned traveller long stood alone in 
rejecting entirely what he calls the "trumpery of the^ 
Church of the Holy Sepulchre." Trumpery, indeed, 
much of it doubtless is ; and every one must deplore the 
disfigurement of these hallowed spots by the meddling 
of Popish ignorance and perverted taste. But still, an 
intelligent man will pause before he throws away the 
satisfaction arising from a knowledge of these places on 
the authority of any individual, however exalted for 
talent or learning. Either Dr. Clarke visited these 
places under impressions unfavourable to their investi- 
gation, or all previous travellers had been most marvel- 
lously blind and stupid. In fact. Dr. darkens percep- 



324 



CITIES^ ETC. JERUSALEM. 



tioi. °em to have been blunted, and his judgment per- 
verted the disgust excited at the tricks and forgeiies 
of the mo. ks. These are, indeed, numerous and bare- 
faced enough; but an unprejudiced investigator will 
endeavour to separate the false from the true — those tra- 
ditions which are evidently opposed to history and common 
sense, from those which, however difficult to reconcile 
with present appearances, and our own expectations and 
conceptions, are supported by clear historical evidence. 
No judicious man would follow Chateaubriand in the 
excess of bis credulity ; nor would he, without a care- 
ful examination of history and of facts, yield to the 
scepticism of Clarke. Indeed, this author himself is 
staggered at the weight of evidence in support of the 
identity of the holy places ; and actually adduces a host 
of historical testimonies, which he afterwards vainly 
attempts to overturn. Let us then endeavour to trace 
the line of evidence by which the situations where the 
birth, the last sufferings, the interment^ and some 
of the most remarkable transactions in the life of our 
Saviour took place, are authenticated. The main object 
of inquiry is, whether the memory of these places was 
preserved during the first three centuries? because, 
soon after this period, the erection of religious edifices 
on the spots, and the descriptions of historical routes^ 
leave no further room for doubt or difficulty. 

" In the first place^ then^ Eusebius has given us & iist 
of fourteen bishops, from James, the first bishop of 
Jerusalem, who was made such in the year 35, to Jude, 
who brings the succession up to the time of the perse- 
cution by Adrian. Now what is well worthy of attention 
is, that Simeon, the second of these bishops, or the first 
after James, and who was bishop at the time of the taking 
of Jerusalem by Titus, lived to be 120 years old ; and 
we find him suffering martyrdom, many years after that 



CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM. 



335 



eveut^ in the time of Trajan. This venerable man^ then, 
who liv^ed to see the church re-established,, may be con- 
sidered as a safe depository of those traditions which 
might have been in danger of being lost during its dis- 
persion; and it may be concluded^ that by him they 
would be faithfully transmitted to his successors, who 
fixed their residence on the ruins of the city. This need 
not, however, be supposed to have rested solely with him. 
At the commencement of the troubles which preceded 
the siege of Jerusalem, the Christians withdrew to Pella; 
and immediately after the destruction of the city, 
returned to take up their dwellings among its ruins. 
In the space of a few months, they could not have for- 
gotten the situation of their sanctuaries, which, being 
also without the walls, probably suffered less from the 
siege 

We cannot have much hesitation then in admitting, 
that the traditions respecting J erusalem were delivered 
down in the manner above mentioned to the year 137 : 
when the emperor Adrian rebuilt the city, and in his 
zeal for Paganism caused a statue of Venus to be 
erected on Mount Calvary, and another of Jupiter on the 
Holy Sepulchre; the Grotto of Bethlehem was likewise 
given up to the rites of Adonis. " The foUy of idolatry,^' 
says M. Chateaubriand, "thus published, by its impru- 
dent profanations, the doctrine of the Cross, which it 
was so much to its own interest to conceal." 

Immediately after this second dispersion of the 
church at Jerusalem, it was re-established in the line 
of the Gentile bishops ; the first of whom was Mark ; 
and Eusebius again gives us a list of his successors, 
twenty in number, up to the time of the persecution of 
Dioclesian, in the year 284. Now it is e^ddent, from 
this long list of successive bishops, that the church at 
Jerusalem enjoyed a state of peace for nearly a century 



326 



CITIES^ ETC. JERUSALEM. 



and a half ; and it is absolutely incredible, that these men, 
either from piety or interest, should not have taken care 
to maintain and to transmit the exact position of spots 
rendered memorable from having been the scenes of the 
leading articles of their religion. During great part of 
this time, these sacred spots continued to be profaned by 
the idolatrous statues of Adrian ; which, however, served 
to mark their places ; and which were unable to repulse 
the Christians from the objects of their veneration : for, 
says Sozomenes, (lib. ii. c. 1,) the Pagans rejoiced in the 
idea that the Nazarenes, when they repaired to Golgotha 
to pray, would appear to be paying adoration to the 
daughter of Jupiter. Surely we want no greater evidence 
to show that a perfect knowledge of the sacred places was 
retained at this time. What became eventually of these 
statues of Adrian, we have no certain account. It is 
probable, that if the Christians dared not openly remove 
them, they were not molested in continuing their own 
worship in their immediate vicinity; and that, as 
Christianity gained ground, they were suffered to 
moulder into ruin, or otherwise they remained till 
thrown down by Helena. 

We have now arrived at the period when the persecution 
under Dioclesian commenced ; which occasioned the third 
dispersion of the church, which was not again united until 
the establishment of Christianity as the religion of the 
empire by Constantine, in the year 327. But it is im- 
possible, that in the short period of forty years, supposing 
the Christians to have been debarred all access to the 
objects of their veneration during that time, their exact 
situation should have been effaced from their memories ; 
as many must have been living both at the commencement 
and termination of this period. This supposition will 
have acquired additional weight, if it can be shown, that, 
prior to this period, the holy places were resorted to by 
Christians from different parts of the world. 



CITIES, ETC. 



-JERUSALEM. 



327 



From this epocli, namely, that of Constantine, every- 
thingrelatingtotheholyplacesbecomes matter of history. 
Constantine wrote to Macarius, bishop of Jerusalem, to 
build a church over the tomb of our Saviour; while the 
emperor's mother, Helena, went herself to superintend 
this and many similar works in the Holy Land. Eusebius, . 
who wrote immediately after this restoration of the holy 
places, speaks of the Holy Sepulchre, of Mount Calvary, 
Bethlehem, the Mount of Olives, and the grotto where 
Christ revealed the mysteries to the Apostles. St. J erome, 
about the year 385, gives a complete delineation of the 
same places; and what is more to the purpose, speaks 
of their having been visited by pious Christians from the 
time of our Saviour's ascension as a thing well known, 
and says, that, in his time, pilgrims resorted to Jerusa- 
lem, from the most distant parts of the then known 
world, and especially mentions Britain and Ireland. At 
the beginning of the fifth century, Theodore t wrote his 
ecclesiastical history ; and, in this century, also, the 
Empress Eudocia made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, 
erected monasteries, and there died in retirement. In the 
beginning of the 6th century, Antoninus wrote his Itin- 
erary, in which he describes all the stations of St. Jerome; 
and we learn from him, that at this time Palestine was 
covered with churches and monasteries, which were 
enriched with presents from all parts. It is needless to 
pursue this chain of evidence any farther. From this 
time, thousands of pilgrims annually resorted to Pales- 
tine ; and it was no longer possible that the sacred 
places should be forgotten or mistaken. But to revert 
for a moment to the period immediately preceding the 
reign of Constantine. It was there asserted, that a higher 
confirmation of the authenticity of the holy places would 
be obtained, if it could be shown that they had been visi- 
ted by Christians from different parts of the world for 
a length of time preceding. We have sdr^udy sccii that 



338 CITIESj ETC. JERUSALEM. 

St. Jerome in the fourth century implies as muchj and 
he surely was not very likely to be mistaken ; and there 
is extant an Itinerary from Bourdeaux to Jerusalem, 
written about the year 333, for the use of the pilgrims 
from Gaul — a clear proof that the route for pilgrims 
from that country had been long established. 

The spirit of the Church of Eome now began to in- 
fuse itself into the religious institutions of the Holy 
Land^ and objects of devotion were multiplied to an 
extravagant excess; all of which were as implicitly 
received by the credulous pilgrim as the most established 
articles of his faith. We are not, however, on this ac- 
count to reject what is true, because we find it mingled 
with much that is false. It is the business of the im- 
partial historian to separate the one from the other ; 
and fortunately we have sufficient light in the present, 
instance to guide us in our research without fear of error. 
Gibbon himself admits thus much, and says, that the 
Christians " fixed by unquestionable tradition the scene 
of each memorable event.^^ 

This mass of evidence is indeed overwhelming. "We 
cannot doubt but that an accurate knowledge of the situ- 
ation of Calvary was preserved, although its surface may 
have undergone some change, and the particular spots 
immediately connected with the crucifixion, have been 
efi^aced by the enemies of the Christians in the troubles 
which intervened between the ages of Christ and Constan- 
tino. But it is preposterous in the extreme to suppose 
that the holes in which the crosses were fixed should have 
resisted the lapse of three centuries, or that these could 
possibly have been erected on so contracted a spot ; ac- 
cordiug to which, in defiance of all rule and of gravity, they 

must have stood thus — Nor is it much 



CITIES; ETC. JERUSALEM. 



329 



less absurd to suppose that all the other spots^ pointed 
out as the identical sites of transactions connected with 
the crucifixion^ should be so accurately registered. These 
may be placed on the same footing with the idle tales of 
the wood of the true cross and the sepulchre of the Virgin 
Mary. The site of the tomb_, indeed^ like that of Calvary, 
was too memorable, and its nature too durable to be ob- 
literated, however despoiled or obscured; and it was 
quite in harmony with the character of Helena, whose 
ideas seem to have extended to nothing beyond chapels, 
and altars, and marble slabs, to think to do honour to the 
sepulchre of the Saviour, by decking it out in some such 
fanciful manner as that in which we now see it, and 
obliterating every feature of its original construction ; 
while in the scheme of enclosing the whole of Calvary 
within the plan of a single edifice, other alterations be- 
came necessary, which contributed still farther to efface 
those natural relations of the soil which are now sought 
after as proof of the identity of the whole place. 

Dr. darkens opinion, then, that Calvary was situated 
on some part of the hill generally considered to be Mount 
Sion, without the walls, must fall before such a weight of 
evidence. Local probabilities and agreements alone, will 
not avail us here; and that ^fair sepulchre,^ which appear- 
ed to Dr. C. to coincide in so remarkable a manner with 
all the circumstances of the crucifixion, must be consigned 
to its pristine obscurity. It is impossible to conceive, if 
this had been the tomb in which the Lord lay — a tomb on 
which the ravages of time have made no impression, which 
is as perfect as m the day of its construction — that this 
could ever have been overlooked or forgotten. Even 
although every other memorable place belonging to J eru- 
salem and its history had been overthrown and annihilated, 
this sacred spot, unblemished by the devastations of armies 
or of time, would be too dear in the remembrance of the 



2u 



330 



CITIES, ETC. JERUSALEM 



affectionate Christian — too often visited — to be left to sink 
into oblivion. To the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, then, 
Vi^ith all its profanations and absurdities, we are still 
directed in our search for the true site of the cross and the 
tomb ; and, if our expectations fail of being reahzed — if we 
find the monuments of the great mystery of our religion 
disguised under those of ignorance and false taste — we 
must not, while we lament these effects of folly and super- 
stition, suffer our minds to be closed to the conviction which 
the testimony of history irresistibly enforces upon us/^* 

Let us pause for a moment,^^ says a recent writer, 
" to contemplate the wonderful history of this peculiar 
city, and the still more wonderful events of which it is 
yet to be the scene. The proud name of the ^Eterna 
City,^ assumed by Rome, belongs with infinitely greatei 
propriety to Jerusalem, which existed as a regal city 
long before the foundations of the former were laid. 
Here, in the earliest ages, the Most High God had an 
altar and a priest to himself : — here, through succeeding 
centuries, the Divine presence was manifested in a par- 
ticular manner, and the pure worship of God maintained, 
when all the rest of the world was sunk in the grossest 
idolatry ; — here the tribes of the faithful assembled to 
celebrate, not the impious and gainless jubilee of Papal 
Home, but a festival appointed by God himself to be 
kept in this his holy place, and to the observance of 
which the Divine blessing was attached; — here the 
Lord of Glory lived, and taught, and died ; — here his 
own, and the predictions of long-preceding Prophets 
were fulfilled to the very letter; — here the banished 
J ew looks as to his long-lost home ; — and here, too, the 
devout Christian looks for the completion of prophecies 
yet to be fulfilled, and sees, with the eye of faith, this 
fallen city revive with more than its ancient splendour, 
become again the favoured city of God, and the seat of 

* Mansfor^'s Gazetteer, pp, 235 — 238- 



CITIES^ ETC. JERUSALEM. 



331 



empire of liis restored and repentant people. The Pro- 
phets speak of these events in terms so precise^ and so 
correspondent with those made use of in other prophe- 
cies which have long since received their literal comple- 
tion, that it is impossible to receive them as merely 
figurative. The fii'st promise made of the land of 
Canaan to Abraham^ the prophecies relating to the de- 
struction of Nineveh, Babylon, Tyre, and this very city 
of Jerusalem, are conveyed in language not more de- 
fined, circumstantial, and local, than those of the revival 
and restoration of the same city and people. (Ezek. ii. 
16—20; xvi. 53—55; xx. 34—44; xxxiv. 22 to the 
end ; xxxiv. 6 to the end; xxxvii. 15 to the end ; xxxix. 
25 to the end. Hosea i. 10, 11; iii. 4, 5; xi. 10, 11 ; 
xiv. 4 — 8. Joel ii. 18 — 27 ; ch. iii. Amos ix. 9 to the 
end. Micah ii. 12; iv, 1—8; vii. 11, 12. Zeph. iii. 9 
to the end. Zech. i. 12 to the end; ii. 1 — 12; viii. 2 
to the end; x. 6—10; xii. 1—10; xiv. 1, 11, 16—21.) 

" There is no spot on the surface of the globe which 
possesses such high claims on the attention of the be- 
Hever as this. Its early mention in sacred historj^ — the 
important events which, through so many ages, and at 
such remote periods of time, have marked its history — 
together with its future glorious distinction — absorb the 
mind in an intensity of interest, before which every 
other place sinks into comparative insignificance. 
There is, indeed, no other example of a place of equal 
antiquity and importance preserving anything of its 
ancient character and condition at the present time- 
Its earliest contemporaries and rivals have long since 
sunk into obscurity, or have even ceased to aff'ord a trace 
of their existence : while Jerusalem, through the revo- 
lutions of 4000 yeai's, still remains a city ; degraded^ 
indeed, and prostrate before the Divine vengeance, but 
considerable, both for its extent, and for the im- 



332 CITIESj ETC. JEZREEL JOPPA. 

portance attached to it as well by Christians and Jews 
as by its present Infidel possessors; whose dominion 
draws to a close^ and the final subversion of which the 
succeeding generation may possibly have the privilege 
of witnessing/^ 

JEZEEEL — a city belonging to the half-tribe of 
Manasseh_, west of Jordan^ and the royal residence of 
the kings of Israel. It was situated in an extensive and 
verdant valley, which from it was termed the Yalley or 
Plain of Jezreel. The name of Jezreel was by the 
Greeks moulded into Esdraela_, and the plain in which 
it was situated was in like manner called the Plain of 
Esdraelon. It was here that the host of the Midianites 
was routed bv 300 men under Gideon. (Judg. 

JOPPA — formerly called Japho, and now Jaff'a, or 
Yafah ; a city and port of Palestine,, situated on a rocky 
eminence on the Mediterranean coast, about 'forty miles 
north-west of Jerusalem.* It is one of the most 
ancient sea-ports in the world, and its history stretches 
far back into the twilight of time. Phny assigns it 
a date anterior to the Deluge. It was there, accord- 
ing to tradition, that Noah built the ark; it was 
there, that Andromeda was chained to the rock, and 
exposed to the monster of the deep ; here was landed 
the cedar-wood brought from Mount Lebanon for the 
building of the temple; here the prophet Jonah 
embarked for Tarshish, 862 years B.C.; and here St. 
Peter restored Tabitha to Hfe, and resided many days 
in the house of one Simon a tanner. (Acts ix. 36 — 
43.) The town was fortified by St. Louis, in the time of 

* Mr. "VVatson, Mr. Macsford, and several other authorities, make it 
eeventy miles from Jerusalem ; but this is unquestionably an error. 
From Jaffa to Eamla, (Rama, or Arimathea,) is a journey of three 
hours, tha'/is, about nine miles. Kamla is, by Phocas, computed to be 
thirty->seTen miles from Jerusalem ; if this be correct, Jaffa cannot be 
less than forty-sis or forty-seven miles; thougjh Quaresmius, on the 
authority of Jerome, makes it only forty. 



CITIES, ETC. KEDEMOTH ^KIRJATHAIM 533 



the Crusades. In 1799_, it was stormed and sacked 
without mercy by tlie French army under Buonaparte ; 
and. Giving to the stubborn resistance offered by the 
Turks, or not willing to be encumbered with so many 
prisoners,, Napoleon ordered the conquered garrison, to 
the number of 500 or 600, to be dragged out to the 
sand-hills about a league from tlie town, and there, con- 
trary to ail tbe usages of war, they were inhumanly 
butchered. " I have seen,^^ says Dr. Wittman, " the 
skeletons of these unfortunate victims, which lie scat- 
tered over the hills, a modern Golgotha, Avhich remains 
a lasting disgrace to a nation calling itself civilized/^ 
The present population of Jaffa is estimated at 5000 or 
6000, of whom tbe greater part are Turks and Arabs ; 
the Christians are stated to be about 600, consisting of 
Roman Catholics, Greeks, Maronites, and Armenians. 

KEDEMOTH— a city in the tribe of Reuben, (Josh, 
xiii. 18,) near the river Arnon, whicb gave name to the 
wilderness of Kedemoth, on the borders of that river ; 
whence Moses sent messengers of peace to Sihon, king 
of Heshbon. (Deut. ii. 26.) 

KEDESH. —There were two cities of this name ; 
one in the tribe of Judah, (Josh. xv. 23,) tbe other in 
the tribe of Naphtali. (ch. xix. 37.) This was the 
more considerable of the two, being both a Levitical 
city, and one of the cities of refuge. The king of this 
place was slain by Joshua, (Josh. xii. 22,) and here 
Barak was born. (Judg. iv. 6.) 

KIRJATHAIM— a city east of the Jordan, not far 
from Medeba. It was probably built by the Emims, who, 
together with the city, were destroyed by Chedorlaomer. 
(Gen. xiv. 5.) It was rebuilt by the Moabites, from 
whom it was taken by Sihon, king of the Amorites. 
Moses took it from the i^morites, and gave it to the tribe 
f Reuben, who again rebuilt it. (Numb, xxxii. 37. Jer. 
xlviii. 1, 23.) There was another Kirjathaim, in the 



^34 CITIES, ETC. KIRJATH-JEARIM MAKKEDAH. 



tribe of Naplitali_, whicli was given to the Levites. (I 
Chroii. vi. 76.) 

KIEJATH-JEARIM— a city of the Gibeonites, in 
the tribe of Judah^ nine miles from J erusalem, on the 
road to Lydda. Here the ark remained twenty years^ 
from the time it was sent back by the Philistines till it 
was removed by David. (1 Sam. vii. 1 Chron. xiii.) 

LIBNAH — a Levitical city_, situated in the south of 
J iidahj in the district of Eientheropolis. Sennacherib 
was laying siege to this place when his a,rmy was smitten 
by God, and 185,000 men perished in one night. (2 
Kings xix.) 

LYDDA, or LOD — a large village, or town, on the 
road from J erusalem to Joppa, eminent-for its schools of 
learned Jews. It was named by the Greeks, Diospolis, 
(the city of Jupiter,) and by the Crusaders, the city of St. 
George, from its being the supposed scene of the martyr- 
dom of that saint. Here Peter healed Aneas, who had 
been afflicted with paralysis for eight years. (Acts ix. 32.) 

MAACHAH — a city and kingdom of small extent^ 
situated u.nder Mount Lib anus, near the head of the 
Jordan. It was allotted to the half-tribe of Manasseh, 
who, however, did not drive out the inhabitants. (Josh, 
xiii. 13.) 

MAGDALA — a city on the y»^estern shore of the Sea 
of Galilee, near Dalmanutha. See DALMANUTHA. 

MAHANAIM [two hosts, or camps) — a city east of 
Jordan, between Mount Gilead and the river Jabbok 
Its name was derived from the angels, probably in two 
companies, which Jacob sav*^ on this spot after parting 
with Laban. (Gen. xxxii. 2.) 

MA KKEDAH — a city in the vicinity of which was 
the cave in -^vhich the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jar- 
muth, Lachish, and Eglon, who had confederated to 
attack the Gibeonites, took shelter after their defeat, and 
where they were discovered and put to death. (Josh. x. 



CITIES, ETC. MAMRE— MIZPAH. 335 

16 — 27.) It afterwards belonged to the tribe of Judah. 

MAMRE — tbe same as Hebron. (Gen. xxiii. 19; 
XXXV. 27.) The city probably derived its name from 
that Mamre who joined Abraham in the pursuit of 
Cliedorlaomer. (Gen. xiv. 13.) 

MAON — a city in the tribe of Judah, not far from 
CarmGl. (1 Sam, xxv. 2.) Into a wilderness adjoining 
this town David retired in order to evade the pursuit 
of Saul. (1 Sam. xxiii. 25.) 

MEDEBA — a city which was taken by Moses from 
the Amorites_, and given to the tribe of Heuben. It 
afterwards feU into the hands of the Ammonites ; and 
here they, together with the Syrians, were defeated by 
David and Joab. (1 Chron. xix.) Medeba still retains 
its ancient name ; it is situated on a hill a few miles 
S.E. of Heshbon. 

MEGIDDO — a city in the half-tribe of Manasseh, 
west of Jordan, from which they did not expel the 
Canaanites, but allowed them to remain on paying a 
tribute. (Josh. xvii. 11.) This place is memorable for 
a decisive battle between Necho, king of Egypt, and 
Josiah, king of Judah, in which the latter was defeated 
and slain. (2 Chron. xxxv.) 

MICHMASH— a city nine or ten miles N.E. from 
Jerusalem, celebrated for the exploit of Jonathan, which 
led to the defeat of the Philistines. (1 Sam. xiii. and xiv.) 

MINNITH — a city four miles E. of Heshbon, towards 
Rabbah. It was famous for its fine wheat, which formed 
an article of export from Judsea to Tyre. (Ezek. xxvii. 
17.) 

MIZPAH, or MIZPEH (a watch-tower, apillar or heap 
of commemoration). — There were three places of this 
name : one in the tribe of Benjamin, about eighteen 
miles west of Jerusalem, where Saul was anointed king, 
(1 Sam. x. 17,) and where Samuel dwelt; another in 
Gilead, on the spot where Jacob set up the heap of 



B36 



CITIES, ETC, 



MODIN NAZARETH, 



stones to commemorate the covenant made there be- 
tween him and Laban; (see Gilead;) and a third in 
the land of Moab_, where David, placed his father and 
mother while he remained concealed in the cave of 
Adnllam. (1 Sam. xxii. 3.) 

MODIN— the city of Mattathias, the father of the 
Maccabees, situated on a high hill about twelve miles 
N.W. of Jerusalem. Here was also the family sepul- 
chre of Mattathias, where he was buried, and where 
Simon afterwards raised a magnificent monument to 
his brother Jonathan, who was mm'dered by Tryphon. 
(] Mac. xiii. 27—30.) 

NAIN, or NAIM (pleasantness) — a toAvn of Galilee, 
eight miles S.E. from Nazareth, and two S. from 
Mount Tabor. Its name was derived from the pleasant- 
ness of its situation. At its gates Jesus restored the 
widow^s son to life. (Luke vii. 11.) 

NAZAHETH (separated, sanctified) — a city of Galilee, 
beautifully situated on the declivity of a hill, fifty miles N. 
from Jerusalem. The town is built iu the form of a cross, 
and the valley which it commands resembles a circular 
basin, encompassed by a range of fifteen mountains, wliich 
seem as if they had here met and united to form an en- 
closure for this delightful spot, and to guard it from in- 
trusion. It is a rich and beautiful field in the midst of 
barren mountains; it abounds in fig-trees, small gardens, 
and hedges of the prickly pear ; and the dense rich grass 
afi'ords an abundant pasture. Dr. Clarke describes Naza- 
reth as situated upon the side of a barren rocky elevation, 
facing the east, and commanding a long valley. The 
words of the Evangehst," says he, prove the situation of 
the ancient city to have been precisely that which is now 
occupied by the modern town. Induced by the words of 
the Gospel to examine the place raore attentively than we 
should otherwise have done, we went, as it is written, ' out 
of the city unto the brow of the nill whereon the city is milt/ 



CITIES, ETC. NAZARET&. 



33/ 



and came to a precipice corresponding to the words of the 
Evangelist. It is above the Maronite church, and probably 
the precise spot alluded to by St. Luke. In the valley 
appeared one of those fountains which, from time imme- 
morial, have been the halting-places of caravans, and some- 
times the scenes of contention and bloodshed. The women 
of Nazareth were passing to and from the town with 
pitchers upon their heads. This spring is denominated 
'The Fountain of the Virgin Mary/ and certainly, 
if there be a spot throughout the Holy Land that was un- 
doubtedly honoured by her presence, we may consider this 
to be the place ; because the situation of a copious spring 
is not liable to change ; and because the custom of repair- 
ing thither to draw water has been continued among the 
female inhabitants of Nazareth from tlie earliest period of 
its history.^'' Nazareth is interesting from its having been 
the residence of our Saviour for thirty years, whence he was 
called a Nazarene. (Matt. ii. 23.) It was at that time 
proverbial for its wickedness ; hence the satire of Natha- 
nael : — Can any good thing come out of Nazareth 
Here the Virgin Mary resided when informed by the angel 
that she should give birth to the Messiah ; and the very 
spot where this announcement is said to have been made is 
shown by the monks within the Church of the Annuncia- 
tion. In front of the altar are two granite columns, each 
two feet one inch in diameter, and about three feet apart. 
They are supposed to occupy the very places where the 
angel and the Virgin stood at the precise moment of the 
annunciation.* The innermost of these, that of the 
Virgin, has been broken away, so that eighteen inches 

* « These pillars are said to have been erected by St. Helena, she hav- 
ing been divinely informed of the exact places : though this the Greeks 
dispute with the Latins, alleging that the angel, not finding the Virgin 
at home, followed her to the fountain, whither she was gone to fetch 
water, and there delivered his message." Van Egmont's Travels, vol. 
ii. p. 18. 



2x 



38b 



CITIES^ ETC.- NAZARETH. 



of it is clean gone between the piilai* and the pedestal. 
Nevertheless it remains erect, suspended from the roof as 
if attracted by a loadstone. It has evidently no support 
below; and, though it touches the roof, the hierophant 
protests it has none from above. " All the Christians 
of Nazareth/' says Burckhardt, with the friars of course 
at their head, affect to believe in this miracle, though 
it is perfectly evident that the upper part of the column 
is connected with the roof.'' This broken pillar has a 
reputation for healing all kinds of diseases. 

Behind the great altar is a subterraneous cavern, 
divided into small grottos, where the Virgin is said to 
have lived. Her kitchen, parlour, and bed-room are* 
shown ; and also a narrow hole in the rock, in which the 
child Jesus once hid himself from his persecutors. 

To the north-west of the convent is a small church 
built over Joseph's workshop ! To the west of this is a 
small arched building, which, they say, is the synagogue 
where Christ, by applying the language of Isaiah to 
himself, (Luke iv. 16,) so exasperated the Jews that they 
cast him out of the city to the brow of the hill, intending 
to hurl him down headlong ; to avoid which, say the 
monks, he leaped down of his own accord ; and the 
frightful precipice is called to this day Saltus Domini, the 
Lord's Leap. Mr. Jolliffe and Major Mackworth were 
shown *^^the school where Christ received the fii'st rudi- 
ments of his education." 

" It will not be foreign to the description of this place, 
to give some account of that monstrous piece of Papal 
superstition which gave birth to the celebrated Chapel of 
Loretto, in Italy; which is said to have travelled all the 
way to that place from Nazareth, without the displacement 
of a single brick. This account cannot be better given 
than in the humorous relation of Dr. Wells ; for the 
keenest satire alone suits a tale so disgraceful to the 



CITIES, ETC. NAZARETH. 



339 



honesty or the common sense of its founders or abettors. 
^In how mean a condition soever/ says Dr. Wells, 
'Nazareth may be at present, yet some part of its 
ancient buildings, I mean the chamber wherein the 
Virgin Mary is said to have been sitting, when the angel 
brought her those joyful tidings above related, has had 
better luck, even at the no less expense than of a 
downright miracle, if we can believe the Popish legends : 
for in these it is said, that this same chamber being, 
after the blessed Virgin's departure, had in great reve- 
rence by Christians, and remaining in Nazareth till the 
Holy Land was subdued by the Turks and Saracens, 
A. D. 1291, it was then most miraculously transported 
into Sclavonia. But that country being unworthy of 
the Virgin's presence, it was by the angels carried over 
into Italy, and at length settled at Loretto, then a 
village in the Ecclesiastical State, or Pope's dominion, 
his Holiness's territories being, without doubt, the most 
worthy in the world to be the receptacle of such an holy 
apartment. So extraordinary an arrival of so extra- 
ordinary a relic was quickly noised about; and not 
only the people of all ranks came to visit it with great 
veneration, but even the Popes themselves have paid it 
more than ordinary respect, one of them building a most 
stately cburch over this chamber, which is now become, 
by presents made to the Lady of it, the richest in the 
world ; another erecting the village of Loretto, where it 
stands, into a city and bishop's see. So that Nazareth 
and Loretto have, as it were, changed conditions one 
with the other : Nazareth being formerly a city and 
bishop's or archbishop's see, but now a village; and 
Loretto being formerly a village, but now a city and 
bishop's see.' To show in how low an estimate the 
aforesaid Popes, and others concerned in this fraud, 
held the understandings of the deluded multitude, those 



340 CITIES, ETC. -NOB PTOLEMAIS. 

local coincidences which, common decency required to 
be observed, and whicb. one sbonld think would be 
carefully consulted in support of the credit by which it 
might be upheld, were altogether disregarded ; for the 
waUs of the chamber are constructed, not of any mate- 
rial to be found at Nazareth, but of common Itahan 
brick/' 

The present population of Nazareth, (now called 
Nazra, or Nassara,) is about 3000; of whom 500 are 
Tui'ks, the remainder Christians, who enjoy a greater 
degree of toleration than in any other part of Syria. 

NOB — a city in the tribe of Benjamin, not far from 
J erusalem. It was a sacerdotal city, specially assigned 
to the priesthood. 

PENIEL, or PENUEL (face or vision of God)— 2. place 
near the river Jabbok; so called because here Jacob saw 
the face of God. (Gen. xxxii. 24—30.) The Gadites after- 
wards built a city on the spot, which retained the name of 
Penuel. It was destroyed by Gideon, (Judges viii. 8,) 
and rebuilt by Jeroboam. (1 Kings xii. 25.) 

PTOLEMAIS — a city and port of Palestine, situated on 
the Mediterranean coast, at the north angle of a bay which 
extends in a semicircle of three leagues as far as the point 
of Carmel ; it is twenty-seven miles south of Tyre. Its 
original name was Accho; (Judges i. 31;) but the first 
Ptolemy, having rebuilt and beautified it, called it, after 
himself, Ptolemais. The Arabs call it Akka ; the Turks 
Acra, or Acre ; and the Crusaders gave it the name of St. 
Jean d'Acre, St. John being at that time its tutelar saint. 
Accho was assigned to the tribe of Asher, but it was one of 
those places out of which the Israelites could not drive the 
primitive inhabitants. Its geographical position has ren- 
dered it at all times a place of great importance. It is, in 
fact, the key to Syria and Palestine, All the rice, whi^'h 
* Hansford's Gazetteer, pp. 332, 333. 



CITIES, ETC. — PTOLEMAIS. 341 

is the staple food of the people, enters the country by 
way of Acre ; the governor of that city_, therefore, can 
at any time create a famine throughout Syria. This 
consideration led Napoleon to direct all his efforts 
towards the possession of it ; that experienced general 
being well aware that the key of a national granary is 
the mightiest engine of military operations. The fate 
of the East/^ said he to Murat, ^^depends on yonder 
petty town/^ Acting on this perception, with his eye on 
Constantinople and the Indies, and aiming to establish 
his empire in the East, he led against Acre, in 1799, an 
army of 12,500 of his bravest troops, and attempted to 
storm it. Eight times he led them on in person to the 
assault ; twelve times he withstood the desperate sallies 
of the Mameluke sabres. British veterans, under the 
command of Sir Sidney Smith, came to the aid of the 
besieged ; the ruins of a breached wall served as a breast- 
work ; the muzzles of the French and British muskets 
touched each other, and the spear-heads of their standards 
were locked together. Both the assault and defence were 
obstinate and bloody ; many brave men fell on either side ; 
and the potent conqueror, who was destined to convulse 
empires and to overturn almost every throne in Europe, 
was foiled and vanquished under the walls of Acre. After 
spending sixty days before it, and losing several thousand 
men, the flower of his army, he was compelled to raise the 
siege and retire into Egypt. The notorious Djezzar Pasha 
(an appellation explained by himself as signifying the 
butcher) was at that time governor of the city. During 
the siege, he sat on the floor of his palace, surrounded by 
a heap of gory heads, distributing money and military 
honours to all who brought him in the heads of Frenchmen. 
This Djezzar Pasha was one of the most blackhearted 
monsters that ever lived ; cruel in disposition, arbitrary in 
his rule, and terrible in his revenge, he was in fact, the 
Nero of his day. " We found him," says Dr. Clarke, 



342 



CITIES, ETC. PTOLEMAIS. 



" seated on a mat in a little chamber destitute of the 
meanest article of furniture, excepting a coarse, porous, 
earthenware vessel for cooling the water he occasionally 
drank. He was surrounded by persons maimed and 
disfigured j some without a nose, others v/ithout an arm, 
with one ear only, or one eye : marked men, as he termed 
them — persons bearing signs of their having been in- 
structed to serve their master with fidelity .^^ On one 
occasion some of his wives happened to displease him. 
He suspected their fidelity ; and, fearing lest their 
honour should suff'er, he spoke to them on the subject, 
as an anxious and afi^ectionate husband would do, and 
then chopped off the heads of seven of them with his 
own hands. The number of his women was kept a pro- 
found secret, in order that his biographer might be un- 
able to state how many of them he disposed of without 
causing them to suffer a lingering illness. 

Although an arbitrary tyrant, Djezzar did much 
towards improving and beautifying the town. " Many 
superb remains were observed by us,^^ says Dr. Clarke, 

in the pasha's palace, in the khan, the mosque, the 
public bath, the fountains, and other works of the 
town ; consisting of fragments of antique marble, the 
shafts and capitals of granite and marble pillars, masses 
of the verd antique breccia, of ancient serpentine, and 
of the syenite and trap of Egypt. In the garden of 
Djezzar's palace, leading to his summer apartment, we 
saw some pillars of yellow variegated marble, of extra- 
ordinary beauty ; but these he had procured from the 
ruins of Csesarea, together with almost all the marble 
used in the decoration of his very sumptuous mosque. 
A beautiful fountain of white marble, close to the en- 
trance of his palace, has also been constructed with 
materials from those ruins.'' — " The bath is the finest 
and best built of any that we saw in the Turkish empire. 
Every kind of antique marble, together with large pillars 



CITIES^ ETC. PTOLEMA.IS. 



343 



of Egyptian granite,, miglit be observed among the mate- 
rials employed in building it. 

Acre sustained several sieges during the wars of the 
Crusades. After the expulsion of the knights of St. John 
of J erusalem . it fell rapidly into decay, and was almost 
deserted,* till Djezzar Pasha, by repairing the town and 
harbour, made it one of the first towns on the coast, and 
augmented its population from a few hundreds to nearly 
20,000. In the year 1832, Acre sustained a long and 
sanguinary siege by Ibrahim Pasha. The dispute origin- 
ated in the following manner : — Abdallah, pasha of Acre, 
had revolted against the Grand Seignior. Being over- 
come, he craved protection from Meliemet Ali, pasha of 
^gypt, whose generous interposition and influence with 
the Porte, procui'ed from the Divan his pardon and con- 
tinuance in office. Abdallah, forgetting the gratitude due 
for this sendee, refused to execute certain conditions 
sworn to in the period of his misfortunes. This act of 
perfidy roused the ire of Mehemet Ali, and Ibrahim, his 
son, undertook the work of vengeance. He encountered 
at Acre an unexpected and vigorous resistance ; his an- 
ger was roused ; he demanded of his father fresh troops, 
which were sent, and they were also repulsed. Mehemet 
grew tired, and recalled his son ; but Ibrahim resisted, 
and declared his resolve to reduce Acre to the power of 
his father, or perish in the attempt. At length, on the 
second of July, he broke open the gates of the town, and 
took it by assault. Abdallah, being made prisoner, pre- 
pared himself for death ; Ibrahim sent for him to his 
tent, and having addressed to him a few bitter sarcasms, 
despatched him to Alexandria. Instead of the bow- 
string or the sabre, Mehemet Ali, with the magnanimity 
of a true hero, sent him his own horse, made him enter 
in tiiumpk seated him by his side at the Divan, com- 

* Sandys states that, in 1610, there were not above 200 or 300 
inhabitants. 



34)4! CITIESj ETC. PTOLEMAIS. 



plimented him on his valour and fidelity to the Sultan, 
and gave him a palace, slaves,, and large revenues. Ab- 
dallah deserved this treatment for his bravery. Shut up 
in a small fortress, with only 3000 men, he withstood for 
a year the whole of the Egyptian land and sea forces. 
The town, however, was given up to pillage and the flames. 
It was subsequently rebuilt, and so strongly fortified that 
it was deemed by the inhabitants almost impregnable. 
But the prowess of British arms has recently demon- 
strated the fallacy of this assumption. The brilliant 
victories that had attended the arms of Ibrahim, and the 
encroachments he was making in Syria and Arabia, 
threatened the subversion of the Turkish empire, and at 
length roused the Porte from its torpid slumber. It was 
deemed requisite to check his aggressive movements, and 
restore the authority of the Porte. In order to accom- 
plish this, it was necessary to recover possession of Acre, 
the great fort of the East,^^ the " far-famed fortress of 
the Levant.^' It was accordingly attacked, by the com- 
bined fleets of the allies, on the 3rd of November, 1840. 
The bombardment commenced at half-past two, p.m. 
and became general at three. 

The British ships engaged were, the Princess Charlotte, 
Powerful, Thunderer, Benbow, Bevenge, Edinburgh, and 
Bellerophon, of the line ; Castor, Pique, Carysfort, and 
Talbot, frigates ; "^^^i*,., and Hazard, sloops ; Gorgon, 
Vesuvius, Strombon, and Phoenix, steam-frigates; two 
Austrian frigates and a corvette j and a Turkish ship of 
the line, with the flag of Admiral Walker. Admiral Sir 
Bobert Stopford, who had left his flag-ship for the 
Phoenix, directed the first attack, neared the formidable 
batteries, and under the bristling cannon, (the labour and 
accumulation of ages,) stood up, and with cool daring and 
fearless courage, commanded the whole operations. The 
gallant Commodore Napier hej^ded one of the two divi- 
sions, and would not cease firing till every gun of the 



CITIES, ETC. PTOLEMAIS. 



enemy v/as siienced. At twenty minutes past four, a large 
magazine blew up, which contained an immense quantity 
of ammunition; by this ^iccident one entire regiment was 
sacrificed. At five o^clock. the southern division ceased 
firing; and at forty minutes past five, the north-western. 
The batteries continued firing till the last. During the 
night the place was evacuated, and at dayhght the follow- 
ing morning Walker Bey landed with hia troops and took 
possession. British loss : fourteen killed, forty-two wounded. 
Egyptian loss : 1700 killed by the explosion, 500 killed 
on the ramparts, wounded unknown. The result of this 
grand action was, 3000 prisoners, a large quantity of war- 
like stores and specie, and possession of the entire coast of 
Syria. The following account was transmitted by an eye- 
witness from the scene of action : — " At dayhght we found 
the place had been evacuated during the night. The 
troops were immediately landed, the Turkish flag was 
hoisted on the citadel, and on either side a small English 
and Austrian flag; thus proclaiming the triumph of the 
Ottoman power, and the alliance by which it had been 
achieved. We went round the outer walls in order to 
inspect the place, and were truly amazed at the strength 
of the fortifications; alm^ost every gun was new — every 
carriage quite so ; and the quantity of ammunition, shot, 
and shells of every sort and size by the side of each gun, 
astonished us, — ^ certainly sufficient for a six months^ ordi- 
nary siege. But 'lothing could stand against the destruc- 
tive fire that ^^'asi poured upon them, the ships taking at 
least two-thuds of the triangle, which is the shape of the 
fortress. Almost every gun has been rendered useless, 
many upset, and most of them with a shot or two through 
their carriages ; the dead and the wounded, shattered 
limbs and bodies lying about in all directions — a sad sight. 
We went up into the citadel, a very strong and apparently 
pregnable place ; from this through, a mosque, the 



2y 



346 CITIES^ ETC. PTOLEMAIS RABBAH. 

and magazines, and tlien on to the crater^ for I cannot 
use a more appropriate term ; the quantity of powder 
was immense^ the precise number of tons uncertain; 
but the space destroyed covers a mile, strewed with 
blackened corpses. In many places I saw on the cin- 
ders six or eight bodies lying over and beside each 
other in one heap. We counted thirty donkeys dead, 
having been tethered in a square, ready to carry shot, 
&c., to the distant guns, besides horses and cattle half 
buried. Indeed no one in the fleet ever witnessed such 
an extensive explosion. There is not one house in the 
town without many shot-holes in it, nor one habitable. 
I could not have imagined a city so completely de- 
stroyed j the sight was sickening, and I was really glad 
to find myself again on board. It is said that much 
specie has been found in the city, and 300 pieces of 
field artillery. I yesterday heard the value estimated at 
^200,000, this fortress having been the grand depot 
and arsenal of Mehemet Ali ; it wiU be a great blow to 
him. The garrison was supposed to amount, at the 
commencement of the attack, to nearly 6000. The 
BeUerophon in three hours and a half, fired away 14,033 
lbs. of powder, and 62,908 lbs. of iron shot.^^ This 
action was the most brilliant of all our recent naval 
achievements in the Levant, and affords an additional 
demonstration of the supremacy of British genius and 
valour. It is impossible, however, to contemplate the 
horrors of war, and the grievous ills it inflicts, without 
desiring the arrival of that period when the barbarism 
of civihzed nations shall cease — when swords shall be 
beaten into plough- shares, and spears into pruning- 
hooks — and nations shall learn war no more. That 
was a noble maxim proclaimed by M. Guizot to the 
cabinets of Europe — "La Paiop' par-tout 3 — toujours! — 
Peace everywhere, peace always. 

RABBAH, or RABBATH-AMMON— the capital 



CITIESj ETC. BAMOTH-GILBAD SAMARIA. 347 

city of the Ammonites, (2 Sam. xii. 26^) which was 
taken by David,, and included in the tribe of Gad. 
During the siege of this place by Joab, Uriahs the 
husband of Bathsheba, was slain by the treacherous 
stratagem of David. (2 Sam. xi.) The town was re- 
stored by Ptolemy Philadelphus, king of Egypt, and 
named by him Philadelphia. It was one of the cities of 
the Decapolis, situated nineteen miles south-east of Szalt. 
The present ruins attest its ancient splendour. 

RAMOTH-GILEAD, or RAMOTH-MIZPEH — a 
city in the land of Gilead, near the Jabbok, Sixteen 
miles from Philadelphia, and one of the cities of refuge. 
(2 Chron. xxii. 5.) Here Jehoram, king of Judah, was 
dangerously wounded ; Jehu anointed king over Israel ; 
(2 Kings ixj) and Ahab killed in battle \Yiih the Syrians. 
(2 Chron. xviii.) 

REHOB, or BETH-REHOB— a city in the extreme 
north of the Holy Land, within Mount Hermon, near the 
pass leading through that mountain to Hamath, and not 
far from Dan. (Numb. xiii. 21. Judg. xviii. 28.) 

RIBLAH — a city in the land of Hamath, where 
Pharaoh-Necho degraded Jehoahaz, king of Judah, and 
transferred the crown to his brother Eliakim ; (2 Kings 
xxiii. 33 ;) and where Nebuchadnezzar, after the siege of 
Jerusalem, put out ZedekiaVs eyes, and murdered his sons. 
(2 Kings XXV. 6.) 

SAMARIxl — the imperial city of the ten tribes, and 
capital of the province of Samaria, situated on a high and 
fertile hill, environed by four others of equal height, forty- 
eight miles from Jerusalem, and six from Shechem. It 
was built by Omri, the sixth king of Israel, (921 b.c.,) 
who " bought the hill of Shemer for two talents of silver, 
and built on the hiU, and called the name of the city which 
he built after Shemer, the owner of the hill, Samaria." (1 
Kings xvi. 24.) Samaria was twice besieged by B enhadad, 



348 



CITIES, ETC. SECHEM. 



king of Syria, but without success. During tlie second 
siege, however, it was reduced to such extremity, that the 
head of an ass was sold for eighty shekels (about ^10.) 
In the year 721 B.C. it was taken, after a three years' 
siege, by Shalmaneser, who rased it to the ground, car- 
ried the ten tribes captive into Assyria, and replaced 
them by colonies from that country. (2 Kings xvii. 6.) 
It was again reduced to ruins by Hyrcanus ; (129 B.C. ;) 
rebuilt by Gabinius, and restored to magnificence by 
Herod the Great, who gave it the name of Sebaste in 
honour of Augustus (Sebastos) Cssesar, and omitted 
nothing to render it strong, splendid, and impregnable. 
At that time it was twenty furlongs in circumference, 
but is now only a small village, containing about thirty 
houses. The site of the ancient city is converted into 
gardens, which rise in terraces from the bottom of the 
hill to its summit. Dr. Richardson says, " The situation 
is extremely beautiful, and strong by nature ; more so 
than Jerusalem. It stands on a fine large insulated hill, 
compassed all round by a broad deep valley ; and when 
fortified, as it is stated to have been by Herod, one might 
imagine that, in the ancient system of warfare, nothing 
but famine could have reduced such a place. The valley 
is surrounded by four hills, one on each side, which are 
cultivated in terraces to the top, sown with grain, and 
planted with fig and olive-trees, as is also the valley. The 
hill of Samaria likewise rises in terraces to a height equal 
to any of the adjoining mountains.'^ The side of the 
hill is strewed with ruins : a stately colonnade, fragments 
of Ionic volutes, and huge blocks of stone and marble. 
These are probably the relics of some of the magnificent 
structures with which Herod the Great adorned the city. 

SCYTHOPOLIS. The same as Bethshan. 

SECHEM, SYCHEM, or SHECHEM— a city of Sa- 
maria, situated in a narrow valley between the mountains 



CITIES, ETC. SECHEM. 



349 



of Ebal and Gerizim, having the former on the north and 
the latter on the south, thirty-four miles north of Jerusalem. 
The city took its name from Shechem, the son of Hamor 
the Canaanite ; and near to it is the parcel of ground which 
Jacob bought at the hand of the children of Hamor for a 
hundred pieces of silver, and where he erected an altar to 
the living God. (Gen. xxxiii. 19, 20.) Hither Josephs 
bones were brought out of Egypt to be buried; (Josh, 
xxiv. 32 ;) here the Patriarchs tended their flocks ; (Gen. 
xxxvii. 12 ;) here, on the entrance of the Israelites into 
the Promised Land, God commanded six of the tribes to 
be stationed on Mount Gerizim, and six on Mount Ebal ; 
the former to pronounce blessings on the obedient, the 
latter to denounce curses against the disobedient. (Deut. 
ii. 29 ; xxvii. 12. Josh. viii. 33.) And here also is 
Jacob's Well, whereon our Lord, being wearied with his 
journey, sat down to rest himself, when he held the 
memorable conversation with the woman of Samaria. 
(John iv.) Shechem was twice destroyed ; first, by the 
sons of Jacob, who, in revenge for the violation of their 
sister Dinah, slew all the male inhabitants, including 
Hamor and Shechem, and spoiled their city; (Gen. xxxiv •,) 
and again, 500 years after, by Abimelech, the son of Gideon, 
who slew all the inhabitants of the city, beat it down, 
and sowed it with salt that is, he entirely demolished 
and rased it to the ground. (Judg. ix.) It appears, how- 
ever, to have revived before the time of Rehoboam, as that 
monarch v/as here proclaimed king over Israel. After the 
defection of the ten tribes, it was still further improved by 
J eroboam, who made it his residence, and the capital of the 
kingdom of Israel. Shechem did not, however, retain this 
honour long ; the royal residence being successively trans- 
ferred to Penuel, Tirzah, and Samaria. On the expulsion 
of the Samaritans from Samaria by Alexander, for their 
having killed Andromachus, the governor of Syria, they 



350 



CITIES^ ETC. SECHEM. 



took refuge in Sliecliem, which has been fcheir chief 
seat ever since. 

About foTiy years after the death of Christ, Sichem 
was considerably enlarged and beautified by the Emperor 
Vespasian, who gave it the name of Neapolis, (the new 
city,) wliicli has since been corrupted into Naplous, 
Nablous, Napolose, andNaplosa, as it is now variously de- 
signated. Next to Jerusalem, this is, perhaps, one of the 
most interesting spots in the Holy Land. On contem- 
plating this place and its vicinity, Dr. Clarke observes : 

^^The traveller directing his footsteps towards its 
ancient sepulchres, as everlasting as the rocks in which 
they are hewn, is permitted, upon the authority of 
sacred and indisputable record, to contemplate the spot 
where the remains of J oseph, of Eleazarj and of Joshua, 
were severally deposited. If anything connected with 
the memory of past ages be calculated to awaken local 
enthusiasm, the land around this city is pre-eminently 
entitled to consideration. The sacred story of events 
transacted in the field of Sichem, from our earliest 
years, is remem.bered with delight : but with the ter- 
ritory before our eyes where those events took place, 
and in the view of objects existing as they were de- 
scribed above 3000 years ago, the grateful impression 
kindles into ecstasy. Along the valley, we beheld ' a 
company of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead,^ as in the 
days of Eeuben and Judah, * with, their camels, bearing 
spicery, and balm, and myrrh f who would gladly have 
purchased another Joseph of his brethren, and conveyed 
him as a slave to some Potiphar in Egypt. Upon the 
hills around, flocks and herds were feeding, as of old ; 
nor in the simple garb of the shepherds of Samaria 
was there anything repugnant to the notions we may 
entertain of the appearance presented by the sons of 
Jacob.'' 



CITIES^ ETC. SECHEM. 351 

The present town of Nablous is populous and flourisli- 
ing ; containing about 10^000 inhabitants^ cliie% Mo- 
hammedans ; and the country round it presents indica- 
tions of industry and opulence. 

The most modern account of Shechem is that fur- 
nished by Mr. Stephens. Describing his visit to this 
interesting locality^ he says : — " The ground which I 
was now treading is supposed to be the * parcel of 
ground^ which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor^ 
the (ather of Shechem^ for a hundred pieces of silver, 
*nd gave to his son Joseph. Turning the point of the 
mountain, we came to a rich valley, lying between the 
mountains of Gerizim and Ebal. Crossing this valley, 
on the sides of the mountains of Ebal, is a long range 
of grottos and tombs, and a little before coming to 
them, in a large white building like a sheikhs tomb, is 
the sepulchre of Joseph, as it is written, ^ the bones 
also of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up 
with them out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem.^ I 
dismounted and entered the building, and it is not an 
uninteresting fact that I found there a white-bearded 
Israehte, kneeling at the tomb of the Patriarch, and 
teaching a rosy-cheeked boy (his descendant of the 
fourth generation) the beautiful story of Joseph and 
his brethren. 

It was late in the afternoon when I was moving up 
the Valley of Naplous. The mountains of Gerizim and 
Ebal, were towering like lofty walls on either side of 
me. A beautiful stream, in two or three places filling 
large reservoirs, was running through the valley, and a 
shepherd sat on its bank, playing a reed-pipe, with 
his flock feeding quietly around him. The shades of 
evening were gathering fast as I approached the town 
of Naplous, the Shechem of the Old Testament, and 
the Sychar of the New. More than a dozen lepers were 



352 



CITIES^ ETC. SECHEM. 



Sitting outside the gate, tlieir faces shining, pimpled, and 
bloated, covered with sores and pustules, their nostrils 
opened and filled with ulcers, and their red eyes fixed 
and staring; with swollen feet they dragged their dis- 
gusting bodies towards me, and with hoarse voices ex- 
tended their deformed and hideous hands for charity. 

I had just time to visit the Samaritan synagogue. 
Leavuig my shoes at the door, with naked feet I entered 
a small room, about fifteen feet square, with nothing 
striking or interesting about it, except what the Sama- 
ritans say is the oldest manuscript in the world, a copy 
of the Pentateuch, written by Abishua, the grandson of 
Aaron, three years after the death of Moses, or about 
3300 years ago. The priest was a man of forty-five, 
and gave me but a poor idea of the character of the 
Samaritans, for he refused to show me the sacred scroll 
unless I would pay him first. He then brought dow^n 
an old manuscript, which, very much to his astonish- 
ment, I told him was not the genuine record ; giving 
him very plainly to understand that I was not to be 
bamboozled in the matter. I had been advised of this 
trick by the English clergyman whom I met in Jerusa- 
lem j and the priest, laughing at my detection of the 
cheat, while some of his hopeful flock who had followed 
me joined in the laugh, brought down the other, pre- 
served in a tin cas . It was written in some character 
I did not understand, said to be the Samaritan, tattered 
and worn, and bearing the marks of extreme age ; and 
though I knew nothing about it, I admitted it to be 
the genuine manuscript ; and they all laughed when I 
told the priest what a rogue he was for trying to de- 
ceive me ; and this priest they believe to be of the tribe 
of Levi, of the seed of Aaron. 

Much curiosity has existed in Europe among the learned 
with regard to this singular people, and several of the most 



CITIESj ETC. SECHEM. 



353 



eminent men of their day, in London and Paris, have 
had correspondence with them, but without any satis- 
factory result. The descendants of the Israelites who 
remained and were not carried into captivity, on the re- 
building of the second temple were denied the privilege 
of sharing the labour and expense of its reconstruction 
at Jerusalem ; in mortification and revenge, they built 
a temple on Mount Gerizim ; and ever since a deadly 
hatred has existed between their descendants — the 
Samaritans and the Jews. Gibbon, speaking of them 
in the time of Justinian, says, ' The Samaritans of 
Palestine were a motley race, an ambiguous sect, rejected 
as Jews by the pagans, by the Jews as schismatics, 
and by the Christians as idolaters. The abomination 
of the cross had already been planted on their holy 
Mount of Gerizim, but the persecution of Justinian 
offered only the alternative of baptism or rebellion. 
They chose the latter; under the standard of a 
desperate leader, they rose in arms and retaliated their 
wrongs on the lives, the property, and the temples of a 
defenceless people. The Samaritans were finally sub- 
dued by the regular forces of the East ; 20,000 were 
slain j 20,000 were sold by the Arabs to the infidels of 
Persia and India, and the remains of that unhappy na- 
tion atoned for the crime of treason by the sin of hypo- 
crisy.' About sixty families are all now remaining, and 
these few relics of a once powerful people still dwell in 
their ancient capital, at the base of Mount Gerizim, 
under the shadow of their fallen temple. 

" The brother of my host was particularly fond of talk- 
ing about them. He asked me many questions about 
the Samaritans in England, and seemed determined to 
believe that there were many in that country, and told 
me that I might say to them, wherever I found them, 
that they believed in one omnipotent and eternal God, 

2 z 



354 CITIES^ ETC. SHARON SHILOH. 

the five Books of Moses, and a future Messiah, and the 
day of the Messiah^ s coming to be near at hand; that 
they practised circumcision, went three times a year 
up to Mount Gerizim, '^the everlasting mountain/ to 
worship and offer sacrifice; and once a year pitched 
their tents and left their virgins alone on the mount 
for seven days, expecting that one of them would con- 
ceive and bring forth a son, who should be the Messiah ; 
that they allowed two wives, and in case of barrenness 
four ; that the women were not permitted to enter the 
synagogue, except once a year during fast, but on no 
account were they permitted to touch the sacred scroll ; 
and that although the Jews and Samaritans had deal- 
ings in the market-places, &c. they hated each other 
now as much as their fathers did before them. 

I asked him about Jacobus Well ; he said he knew the 
place, and that he knew our Saviour, or Jesus Christ, 
as he familiarly caUed him, Yevj well ; he was Joseph 
the carpenter^s son, of Nazareth; but that the story 
which the Christians had about the woman at the well 
was all a fiction ; that Christ did not convert her ; but 
that, on the contrary, she laughed at him, and even 
refused to give him water to drink."* 

SHARON, or SAEON— a town not far from Lydda, 
which gave name to the Plain of Sharon in which it 
was situated. Peter's miraculous cm-e of Eneas was 
the means of bringing many of the inhabitants of both 
Lydda and Saron to the knowledge of the truth. 
(Acts ix. 35.) 

SHILOH — a city of the tribe of Ephraim, situated 
on a hill about ten miles south of Shechem, and 
twenty-five north of Jerusalem. Here Joshua planted 
the Tabernacle, where it remained more than 300 
years, until it was captured by the Phihstiiies, soon 

Stephens's Travels, pp. 663—568. 



CITIESj ETC.^ SHUNEM— SIDON. 



355 



after wMch the place became desolate. (Jer. vii. 14; 
xxvi. 6 — 9.) 

SHUNEM — a city in the tribe of Issachar^ five miles 
south of Tabor, where resided the hospitable family 
that entertained Elisha_, and where he restored the 
Shunemite^s child to life. (2 Kings iv. 8.) 

SIDON, or ZIDON — a very ancient and celebrated 
city and port of Phoenicia, situated on the Mediter- 
ranean coast, twenty-five miles N. of Tyre. It is one 
of the most ancient cities in the world; being, accord- 
ing to tradition, the second city built after the flood. 
It is supposed to have been founded by Sidon, the son 
of Canaan, and great-grandson of Noah, more than 
2000 years before the Christian era, and was for a long 
period a place of great architectural beauty and com- 
mercial importance. The Sidonians were pre-eminent 
for their skill in the arts, manufactures, and commerce. 
They are said to have introduced into Greece the 
knowledge and use of letters, and to have been the first 
manufacturers of glass, and also the first shipwrights, 
Sidonian workmen were employed by Solomon to hew 
and carve the wood for the building of the temple, and 
also to construct and navigate his ships. Homer often 
speaks of them as an ingenious and enterprising 
people giving them the title of UoKv^oii^xKoit. Owing 
to their skill in navigation, they were enabled to com- 
mand the commerce of the most distant nations ; and, 
before any of their neighbours had ventured to lose 
sight of their own shores, colonies of Sidonians and 
Tyrians were planted in the most remote regions of 
Europe, Asia, and Africa. Sidon, under her own 
kings, enjoyed a high degree of opulence and com- 
mercial prosperity ; though sometimes tributary to the 
kings of Tyre, as appears to have been the case in the 
time of Solomon, who speaks of the Sidonians as iha 



356 



CITIES^ ETC. SIDON. 



servants of Hiram. The city was taken by Nebuchad- 
nezzar, who, however consented to receive the sub- 
mission of the Sidonians^ and permitted them to retain 
their own kings. Entering afterwards into a league 
with Nectanebus, king of Egypt, against Darius Ochus, 
king of Persia, the latter laid siege to their city. 
Finding resistance useless, and that the chances of war 
were against them, they set fire to their ships and the 
city, in which was so large a quantity of gold and silver 
melted down by the fire, that Ochus sold the ashes for 
a considerable sum of money. The city was, however, 
soon rebuilt ; as, about eighteen years after, we find it 
submitting to Alexander. It subsequently shared in 
the fortunes of the rest of Phoenicia, being alternately 
oppressed by the kings of Syria and Egypt ; while its 
extensive and lucrative trade, together with that of 
Tyre, was diverted to Alexandria. After the subversion 
of the Grecian empire, Sidon fell into the hands of the 
Romans ; who, to put an end to the frequent revolt of 
the inhabitants, deprived it of its freedom. It then 
fell successively imder the power of the Saracens, the 
Seljukian Turks, and the sultans of Egypt; who, in 
1289, that they might never again afPord shelter to the 
Christians, destroyed both it and Tyre. But it again 
revived, and has ever since been in the possession of the 
Ottoman Turks. 

Sidon was appointed to the tribe of Asher, but they 
never took possession of it. (Judg. i. 31.) Many of 
the Sidonians were converted by the preaching of 
Christ. (Mark iii. 8.) St. Paul touched here on his 
voyage to Rome. (Acts xxvii. 3.) Sidon, now called 
Saide, has a population of about 15,000, and is still the 
chief mart for Damascus and Upper Syria; but the 
harbour is nearly choked up with sand. Without the 
walls are yet discoverable broken columns and frag- 



CITIES, ETC. SODOM TAFPUAH. 357 

nients of edifices, the relics of its eclipsed and departed 
grandeur. 

SODOM — one of tlie four cities of tlie Plain, which, 
for their wickedness and sensuahty, were destroyed by 
fire. In the time of Abraham, each of these cities had 
its king : all of whom were subdued by Chedorlaomer, 
king of Elam, and made tributary to him; but re- 
belling twelve years afterwards, Chedorlaomer again 
came down upon them, plundered their cities, and took 
Lot, then a resident in Sodom, away prisoner. He 
and the kings confederated with him were, however, 
pursued and defeated by Abraham, who rescued Lot 
and recovered the spoil. (Gen. xiv.) The cities of the 
Plain, with the exception of Zoar, are now covered with 
the waters of the Dead Sea; though it is said the ruins 
of Sodom are occasionally visible, and Strabo gives 
them a circuit of seven miles. See DEAD SEA. 

SUCCOTH, {tents or tabernacles.) — The place where 
Jacob sojourned some time on his return from Meso- 
potamia. (Gen. xxxiii. 17.) A city was afterwards 
built on the spot, which belonged first to the Amorites, 
and subsequently to the tribe of Gad. (Josh. xiii. 27.) 
Jerome says the Jews had named it Darala. It was 
situate east of Jordan, in the region of Scythopolis. 
There was another Succoth in Egypt. (Exod. xii. 17.) 

SYCHAU, [drunken) — a name of reproach given to 
Sichem. (John iv. 5.) 

TAPPUAH, {city of the citron.) — There were three 
places of this name; one in the tribe of Ephraim, 
called also Entappuah; (Josh. xvii. 7, 8;) another in 
the tribe of Judah, (Josh. xv. 34,) and a third, in the 
same tribe, situated in the mountains, and called Beth- 
Tappuah. (Josh. xv. 53.) Ttie former is probably the 
Entappua which was fortified by Bacchides, the Syro> 
Grecian general. 



858 CITIES, ETC. — TEKOA TIBERIAS. 

TEKOA — a city twelve miles sonth of Jerusalem, 
wMcli probably gave name to tlie adjacent wilderness. 
It was a woman of this place wbom Joab employed to 
persuade David to recal Absalom. (2 Sam. xiv.) In 
the wilderness of Tekoa, tbe Moabites, Ammonites 
and the people of Mount Seir, wbo bad confederated 
against Jebosbaphat, were smitten of tbe Lord, and 
perisbed by a mutual slaughter. (2 Cbron. xx. 22.) 
Here also tbe propbet Amos was born, and laboui'ed as 
a herdsman. (Amos i.) 

THEBSZ — a city of Ephraim, not far from Shechem. 
The inhabitants of this place having leagued with the 
Shechemites against Abimelech, he marched his forces 
against it ; but a woman threw a piece of a mill- stone 
from one of the towers, which fell upon his head and 
killed him, and thereby the city was saved. ( Judg. ix. 35 .) 

TIBERIAS— now called TABARIA, or TABAREEAH 
— a city standing in a small plain surrounded by moun- 
tains, on the western shore of the Sea of Gahlee. This 
city was built by Herod Antipas, who named it after 
Tiberius, the Roman emperor, and made it the capital 
of Galilee. Very considerable privileges were granted 
to those who chose to settle there, in order to overcome 
the prejudice arising from the city having been built on 
a site full of ancient sepulchres from which circum- 
stance we may infer the existence of a former city on or 
near the same spot. This is supposed to have been the 
ancient Cinneroth. 

"This city makes a conspicuous figure in Jewish 
history : it was the scene of some of the most 
memorable events recorded by Josephus; and was, 
next to Sepphoris, the most considerable city of Galilee. 
It bad a university ; and, after the fall of Jerusalem, 
was the residence of Jewish patriarchs, rabbins, and 
learned men, till the fourth century : after which it 



CITIES^ ETC.^ TIBERIAS. 



359 



gradually declined, till it was taken by the Saracens, 
under Omar, in the seventh century. But, from its re- 
puted sanctity, and the celebrity of its baths, it con- 
tinued to flourish ; and is mentioned in an Itinerary of 
the eighth century, cited by Reland, as containing 
many churches and synagogues. The walls built here 
by Josephus still remain, excepting precisely that part 
which we are told was razed at the back of Vespasian^s 
camp, which was near the hot springs of Emmaus. 

Tabaria is one of the four holy cities of the Talmud : 
the other three being, Szaffad, Jerusalem, and Hebron. 
It is esteemed holy ground, because Jacob is supposed 
to ha^e resided here, and because it is situated on the 
lake Gennesareth ; from which, according to the gene- 
rally received doctrine of the Talmud, the Messiah is 
to rise. The greater part of the Jews who reside here, 
and in the other holy places, do not engage in mercan- 
tile pursuits, but are a society of religious persons occu- 
pied solely with their sacred duties, and who do nothing 
but read and pray. Jewish devotees from all parts of 
the globe flock to the four holy cities, in order to pass 
their days in praying for their own salvation, and that 
of their brethren who remain occupied in worldly pur- 
suits. But the ofi'ering up of prayers by these devotees^ 
is rendered still more indispensable by a dogma con- 
tained in the Talmud, that the world will return to its 
primitive chaos, if prayers are not addressed to the God 
of Israel at least twice a week in these four cities: 
a belief which induces the rich Jews of other coun- 
tries to send considerable supplies of money to their 
brethren of these places, to support them in their pious 
office. They appear, however, according to Burckhardt, 
to be lamentably ignorant even of their own history. 
The same author describes a ludicrous custom observed 
in their prayers. While the rabbin recites the Psalms 



«360 CITIES^ ETC. TIMNATH—TIMNATH-HERES. 



of David, or the prayers extracted from them, the con- 
gregation frequently imitate, by the voice or gestures, 
the meaning of some remarkable passages : for example, 
when the rabbin pronounces the words, 'Praise the 
Lord with the sound of the trumpet,^ they imitate the 
sound of the trumpet through their closed fists. When 
' a horrible tempest ^ occurs, they puff and blow to repre- 
sent a storm ; or should he mention ' the cries of the 
righteous in distress,' they all set up a loud screaming : 
and it not unfrequently happens, that while some are 
still blowing the storm, others have already begun the 
cries of the righteous ; thus forming a concert which it 
is difficult for any but a zealous Hebrew to hear with 
gravity."* 

Here was held the last session of the Sanhedrim; 
and here the Talmud was collected. Near Tiberias, 
Christ fed 5000 persons with five barley loaves and two 
small fishes ; and a large stone is pointed out on which, 
it is said, the Saviour sat during the performance of the 
miracle. Lamartine describes the modern town as a 
confused and dirty assemblage of some hundreds of 
houses similar to the mud and straw cabins of the 
Arabs.'' 

TIMNATH, or TIMNAH— a city at first assigned 
to the tribe of Judah, but afterwards attached to that 
of Dan ; it was six miles from Adullam, and twelve 
from Eshtaol. Here Judah pastured his flocks, and 
here he had the disgraceful adventure with Tamar. 
At Timnath also Sampson fell in love with a daughter 
of the Philistines, whom he married; but, like many 
others, he soon made the discovery that matrimony is 
not a state of unmitigated felicity. (Judg. xiv.) 

TIMNATH-HERES, or TIMNATH- SERA H— a 
city in the tribe of Ephraim, the residence and burial- 

* Hansford's Gazetteer, pp. 457, 458. 



CITIES, ETC 



■TIRZAH TYRE. 



361 



place of Joshua. (Josh. xix. 50; xxiv. 30. Judg. ii. 9.) 

TIRZAH (pleasant) — a city of Ephraim, so called 
from the pleasantness of its situation. For the same 
reason, probably, it was selected by Jeroboam as his royal 
^sidence ; and it continued to be the capital of the king- 
dom of Israel, until Omri rebuilt Samaria, and transferred 
tlie seat of government to that city. (1 Kings xiv. 17 ; 
XV. 21 ; xvi. 23, 24.) 

TYEE (a rock) — a city and port of PhoBnicia, situ- 
ated twenty-five miles south of Sidon, and thirty-two 
north from Acre ; one of the most celebrated i^ities of 
antiquity for wealth, strength, population, and com- 
merce. Tyre was the daughter of Sidon — an offshoot 
of its overgrown population. It was founded by a 
colony of Sidonians, according to Josephus, 240 years 
before the erection of Solomon^s Temple, or about 1250 
years before the Christian sera; but this calculation 
must be erroneous. Joshua, defining the territory 
allotted to the tribe of Asher, makes mention of Tyre, 
and intimates that it was then a strong city." (J osh. 
xix. 29.) Now, if we allow only fifty years for its 
acquiring this strength, it will give us as the date 
of its erection, 1300 years b.c. The original city, or 
continental Tyre, was built on the Mediterranean 
coast ; and PHny assigns it a circumference of nineteen 
miles. This " crowning city^^ long stood unrivalled ; 
its navy was greater than that of any other city or 
kingdom in the world; its commerce and colonies 
filled every approachable part of the globe ; its wealth 
was unbounded; and its merchants were reckoned 
among " the honourable men of the earth .^^ What we 
have said of the Sidonians will equally apply to the 
Tyrians. They were celebrated as skilful artificers, and 
for their spirit of naval and commercial enterprise. 
Their ships covered the seas ; their city was the nursery 



862 



CITIES^ ETC. — TYRE. 



of science, ana the centre of commerce — an emporium 
for the world — a mart for the merchandize of all quar- 
ters of the globe ; their workmen and sailors were in 
universal request ; and their princely wealth furnished 
them with the luxuries of every climate under heaven. 
Such was the strength of its position and fortifications, 
that Nebuchadnezzar, the greatest conqueror of his 
time, who laid siege to it in the 19th year of his reign, 
was detained thirteen years in the siege before he 
could obtain possession of it. At the expiration of this 
long period, however, the city was taken by assault and 
utterly destroyed ; but not till it had been deserted by 
its inhabitants, who, foreseeing what must happen, 
transported their treasure and everything that was 
valuable to a neighbouring island, and then made their 
escape by sea. After seventy years they returned, and 
built a new city, on an island about four stadia from 
the shore, and near the site of the former city, of which 
nothing remained but a small village amongst the ruins, 
called Palse Tyrus, or Old Tyre. The new city. Insular 
Tyre, in the course of a few years, rivalled its fallen 
predecessor, and drew to itself an extensive and 
lucrative trade. It continued to monopolize the com- 
merce of the East, and enjoyed a high degree of 
prosperity for a period of 200 years ; and so strong was 
it, both by art and nature, (being surrounded by the 
sea, with walls 150 feet in height,) that it cost the 
powerful army of Alexander seven months of rncredib\ e 
Vdbour to make themselves masters of it. To surmount 
the obstacle presented by its insular situation, Alexan- 
der constructed an artificial isthmus, or causeway, from 
the continent to the island. This he accomplished 
by means of timber brought from Lebanon, and 
by throwing the rubbish and ruins of the old city into 
the sea, so as to form a pathway to the new. When 



CITIES^ ETC. TYRE. 



363 



this was completed, lie attacked and canied tlie citT^ 
and either pnt to death, or sold into slayer^; all who 
had not preyionsly made theii' escape. 

'^Tyi'e cannot fitly he compared to any city, ancient 
or modern. Alexandria of the former^ and London of 
the latter times, may be considered as approaching the 
nearest to it. But Alexandi-ia, dni'ing the whole of 
her prosperous days, wsls subject to foreign iTilej and 
London, gi'eat as is her commerce and her wealth, and 
possessing as she does almost a monopoly of what has 
in all ages been the most enyiable and most lucratiye 
branch of trade—that with the East — does not centre 
in herself, as Tyre did, without a rival and without 
competition^ the trade of all nations, and hold an abso- 
lute monopoly, not of one, but of every branch of com- 
merce. For the long period of 1000 years, not a single 
production of the East passed to the "West, or of the 
TTest to the East^ but by the merchants of Tp-e. Nor 
for many ages were any ships found but those of Tyi'e 
daring enough to pass the sti'aits of the Eed Sea on 
one side, or of the ]\IediteiTanean on the other. TVhiie 
the vessels of other countries were gi'oping along theii- 
coasts, clinging to theii' landmarks, and frightened at a 
breeze, the ships of Tyi'e were found from Spain, if not 
fi'om Britain, on the west, to the coasts of Malabar and 
Sofala on the east and south. Xo wonder that her 
merchants were princes, and that they hved in a style 
of magnificence unknown hi any other countiy in the 
same age ; or that she should be considered a desh-able 
prey by the conquerors of the times. But enterprise 
and wealth did not alone complete the character of the 
Tyrians ; they had an undoubted claim to valour of no com- 
mon order. Their city which possessed scarcely any terri- 
tory beyond their own walls, maintained a siege of thirteen 
years (the longest in history except that of Ashdod) 



364 



CITIES, ETC. TYRE. 



against tlie whole power of BabyloD ; and another of 
seven months against Alexander, whose successes had 
afforded no instance of similar delay. And in neither case 
had the captors much to boast of, as the Tyrians had 
shipped off their most valuable property to Carthage ; and 
in the former, particularly, as has been already related, they 
so effectually secured or sacrificed the whoie^ that the sol- 
diers of Nebuchadnezzar found nothing to reward them 
for their length of labour — during which by excessive toil 
and heat, their heads were made bald, and their very 
shoulders peeled — but vacant streets and houses already 
sacked. Let us contemplate all this, and then judge, to 
use the words of Dr. Vincent, whether a commercial 
spirit debases the nature of man, or unfits it for the exertion 
of determined valour ; or whether any single city recorded 
in history is worthy to be compared with Tyre. 

But the 27th. chapter of Ezekiel gives us a particular 
account of the trade of Tyre j which may be considered 
as the most early and the most authentic record extant 
respecting the commerce of the ancients. This account, 
as illustrated by the learned author above mentioned, 
the Hebrew names being rendered into others better 
known in the geography of more recent times, is as 
follows : Tyre produced — 
Verse 5. From Hermon, and the mountains in its 
neighbourhood^ fir for planking ; and from Libanus, 
cedars for masts. 

6. From Bashan, east of the Sea of Galilee, oaks for 
oars. From Greece, or the Grecian isles, ivory to 
adorn the benches or the wastes of the galleys. 

7. From Egypt, linen, ornamented with different 
colours, for sails, or flags, or ensigns. From Pelo- 
ponnesus, blue and purple cloths for awnings. 

8. From Sidon and Aradus, mariners ; but Tyre itself 
furnished pilots and commanders. 



CITIES^ ETC. TYRE. 



365 



9. From Gebal, or Bibles, on the coast between Tri- 
polis and Bervtus^ caulkers. 

10. From Persia and Africa, mercenary troops. 

11. From Aradus, t).e troops that garrisoned Tyre with 
tbe Gammadim. 

12. From Tarsbisli, or by distant voyages towards the 
west and towai'ds the east, great wealtb, iron, tin, 
lead, and silver. Tin implies Britain or Spain, or 
at least a voyage beyond the straits of Hercules. 

18. From Greece, and tbe countries bordering on Pon- 
tus, slaves, and brass ware. 

14. From Armenia, horses, horsemen, and mules. 

15. From the gulf of Persia, and the isles within that 
gulf, horns (tusks) of ivory, and ebony. The ex- 
port to these isles was the manufacture of Tyre. 

16. From Spia, emeralds, purple, broidered work, fine 
linen, coral, and agate. The exports to Syria were 
the manufactures of Tyre in great quantities. 

17. From Judah and Israel, the finest wheat, honey, 
oil, and balsam. 

18. From Damascus, wine of Chalybon, (the country 
bordering on the modern Aleppo,) and wool in the 
fleece. The exports to Damascus were costly and 
various manufactures. 

19. From the tribe of Dan, situated nearest to the 
Philistines, the produce of Arabia, bright or wrought 
iron, cassia or cinnamon, and the calamus aroma- 
ticus. In conducting the transport of these articles, 
Dan went to and fro, that is, formed or conducted 
the caravans. By one interpretation, they are said 
to come from Uzal ; and Uzal is said to be Sana, 
the capital of Yemen, or Arabia Felix. 

20. From the gulf of Persia, rich cloth for the decora* 
lion of chariots or horsemen. 



366 



CITIES, ETC. TYRE. 



21. From Arabia Petrsea and Hedjaz, lambs, rams, and 
goats. 

22. From Sabea and Oman, tlie best of spices from 
India, gold, and precious stones. 

23. From Mesopotamia, from Carrbse, and Babylonia, 
the AssjTians brought all sorts of exquisite things ; 
that is, fine manufacture, blue cloth and broidered 
work, or fabric of various colours, in chests of cedar 
bound with cords, contaiQing rich apparel. If these 
articles, says Br. Vincent, were obtained farther 
from the East, may they not be the fabrics of India, 
first brought to Assyria by the gulf of Persia, or by 
caravans from Karmania and the Indus, and then 
conveyed by the Assyrians, in other caravans, to 
Tyre and Syria ? In this view, observes the same 
author, the care of package, the chests of cedar, and 
the cording of the chests, are all correspondent to 
the nature of such a transport. 

25. From Tarshish the ships came that rejoiced in the 
markets of Tyi'e : they replenished the city, and 
made it glorious in the midst of the sea. 
Such is Dr. Vincent's interpretation of this remark- 
able chapter ; who also says, that from the Tarshish last 
mentioned, the ships returned to the ports in the Red 
Sea; as from the 19th to the 24th verse every particular 
relates to the East, while that referred to in the 12th 
implies the West — Spain, or beyond. We have here 
some light thrown on the obscurity which surrounds the 
situation of this distant and unknown place. There is, 
indeed, a clear reference to two distant places, or parts 
of the world, denominated Tarshish ; perhaps from those 
very circumstances, their distance, and the little that was 
known respecting them. That one was situated westward, 
and reached by a passage across the Mediterranean 
is certain from other parts of Scripture ; that the other 



CITIES, ETC. TYRE. 



367 



was eastward, or southward, on the coast of Arabia, India, 
or Africa, is equally certain.^^* 

The old, or continental Tyre has long since disap- 
peared ; and its very site, like that of Nineveh and 
Babylon, cannot now be accurately recognised. The 
new city gradually declined after the building of Alex- 
andria, which, from its superior local advantages, drew 
away from Tyre her vast trade with India; after which, 
this proud city which. Phoenix-like, had risen almost 
magically from its own ashes, having lost its principle 
of vitality, sank rapidly into decay. Its downfai was 
accelerated by its being exposed alternately to the 
attacks of the Ptolemies, kings of Egypt, and the 
Seleucidse, kings of Syria. Afterwards it fell into the 
hands of the Romans ; then of the Saracens ; then of 
the Crusaders; then of the Mamelukes, who nearly 
razed it to the ground, that it might not again afford 
shelter to the Christians; and at last, it was taken by 
the Turks, under whose dominion it still remams. Mr. 
Maundrell, who visited this place in 1697, thus de- 
scribes it : — 

"This city, standing in the sea upon a peninsula, pro- 
mises at a distance something very magnificent. But 
when you come to it, you find no simihtude of that 
glory for which it was so renowned in ancient times, and 
which the prophet Ezekiel describes. On the north side, 
it has an old Turkish ungarrisoned castle ; besides which, 
you see nothing here but a mere Babel of broken walls, 
pillars, vaults, &c. ; there being not so much as one entire 
house left. Its present inhabitants are only a few poor 
Vretches harbouring themselves in the vaults, and subsist- 
mg chiefly upon fishing ; who seem to be preserved 
in this place by Divine Providence, as a visible argument 
how God has fulfilled his word concerning Tyre namely, 

Mansford*8 Gazetteer^ Pp. 466 — 468. 



368 



CITIES, ETC. TYRE. 



that ^ it should be as the top of a rock, a place for fishers to 
dry their nets on/ " Mr. Bruce, who visited this country 
about eighty years after Mr. Maundrell, says, " passing 
by Tyre from curiosity, I came to be a mournful witness 
of the truth of that prophecy, that Tyre, the queen of 
nations, should be a rock for fishers to dry their nets on.''^ 

Lamartine visited Tyre in 1832. The following ex- 
tract from his Journal will be read with interest : — " De- 
parted from Kantara before daylight. Scaled some dry 
and rocky eminences advancing into the sea as pro- 
montories. From the top of the last and highest of 
these hills, we see Tyre, which appears at the termina- 
tion of its long and sterile bank. Between the sea and 
the concluding heights of Lebanon, which here fall 
with a rapid descent, there stretches a plain about 
eight leagues long and one or two broad : the plain is 
naked, yellow, and covered with prickly shrubs, on 
which the camels of the caravan browse as they pass. 
A peninsula juts into the sea, separated from the con- 
tinent by a causeway, covered Avith a ghttering sand, 
brought by the winds of Egypt. Tyre, at present called 
Sour by the Arabs, is placed on the sharpest extremity 
of this promontory, and appears to rise from the waves 
themselves : at a distance you would call it a handsome, 
new, white, and lively town, looking on the sea ; but it 
is only a beautiful shadow which vanishes on drawing 
near. A few hundred crumbling and almost deserted 
houses, in which the Arabs collect at evening the large 
flocks of sheep and black goats, with long hanging ears, 
which defile before you in the plain ; — such is the Tyre 
of to-day 1 She has no longer a harbour in the seas, or 
a road on the land : the prophecies are long ago accom- 
plished upon her. 

We journeyed in silence, occupied in contemplating 
this wreck and dust of empire which we trampled on 



CITIESj tjTC. 11 KE. 



369 



We followed a path in the middle of the lands of Tyre, 
between the town and the grey naked hills which Lebanon 
throws to the edge of the plain. We came opposite the 
town_, and reached a hillock of sand which seems at 
present to form its sole bulwark, whilst it is overwhelming 
it. I thought on the prophecies, and I tasked my 
memory for some of the eloquent menaces which the 
Divine Spirit spoke by Ezekiel. 1 found them not in 
words, but I found them in the deplorable reahty which 
I had before my eyes. Some verses of my own, throwTi 
off at hazard on leading France for the East, alone occurred 
to my recollection. 

I liaYe not heard the nations' cries ascend, 

And call responses from the cedars old, 
Nor seen high Lebanon's God-sent eagles bend 

Their flight on Tyre, emblems of -wrath foretold. 

I had before me the black Lebanon ; but my imagina- 
tion has deceived me, thought I to myself : I see neither 
the eagles nor the vultures, which ought, in order to 
fulfil the prophecies, to descend incessantly from the 
mountains to devour this corpse of a town reproved by 
God, and the enemy of his people. At the moment I 
was making this reflection, some large, strange, and 
motionless object appeared to our left on the top of a 
perpendicular rock which advanced into the plain, even 
to the route for caravans. It was like five statues of 
black atone, placed on the rock, as on a pedestal ; but 
from some almost insensible movements in these colossal 
figures, we believed, as we approached, that they were 
five Bedouin Arabs, clad in their black goat-skins, who 
stood on this height to see us pass. At length, when 
we were only fifty steps from the rock, we saw one of 
tiese five objects expand his wide wings, and flap them 



3b 



870 CITIES^ ETC. TYRE. 

against his sides with a noise hke that of a sail set to 
the wind. We distinguished them as five eagles_, of the 
largest kind I had ever seen on the Alps, or chained in 
the menageries of our cities. They did not fly away 
or bestir themselves as we drew near ; planted like kings 
of the desert on the edge of the rock, they looked 
down upon Tyre as their appanage, whither they were 
about to return. They seemed to possess it of right 
divine; instruments of a command which they enforced, 
of a prophetic vengeance which they were commissioned 
to accomplish towards man, and in spite of man. I 
could not tire myself with the contemplation of this 
prophecy in action, this miraculous verification of the 
Divine threats, of which chance rendered us the wit- 
nesses. Never had anything more supernatural struck 
thus vividly my sight and my spirit ; and it required 
an effort of my reason not to behold, behind the five 
gigantic eagles, the lofty and terrible figure of the poet 
of vengeance, Ezekiel, rising above them, and pointing 
out to them with his eye and finger the city which God 
gave them to devour, whilst the storm of Divine ange? 
shook his snowy streaming beard, and the fire of celestial 
wrath shot from his eyes. We stood when forty paces 
off; the eagles just turned their heads, and cast a disdain- 
ful look upon us ; but at last two of our troop left the 
caravan, and rushed in a gallop, musket in hand, to the 
very foot of the rock ; still they flew not. Some shots 
with ball caused them heavily to rise, but they returned, 
and hovered for a long time over our heads, without being 
reached by our balls, as if they had said to us, " You can 
do nothing : we are the eagles of the Almighty V 

I was then assured that poetic imagination had sug- 
gested to me the eagles of Tyre as less real, less beautiful, 
and less sublime than they were in fact, and that there is 
in the mens divinior of poets, even of the most obscure. 



CITIES^ ETC. -ZA-REPHATH — ZOAR. 



371 



some portion of that divining and proplietic instinct 
wMcli speaks the trntli without knowing it/'' 

Tyre furnishes one of tlie most striking examples on 
record of the exact and literal fulfilment of prophecy. 

ZAREPHATH — a city of Phoenicia^ situate nearly 
midway between Tjre and Sidon. Here the prophet 
Elijah (h\ elt during a grievous famine_, and was supported 
by the widow's cruse of oil and barrel of meal; and here 
he restored the widow's son to life. (1 Kings xvii.) This 
place is referred to by oiu' Saviour under the name of 
Sarepta. (Luke iv. 26.) It is now a small village 
termed Zarfa^ or Sarfand. 

ZAUETAN, ZAETANAH, ZAETHAN, or ZEEE- 
DATHAH — a place west of J ordan^ near to which the 
waters of that river were accumulated in a heap^ while 
the Israelites passed over on dry ground. In the clayey 
soil of the Plain of Jordan_, between this place and 
Succoth^ the brazen ornaments and vessels for the temple 
were cast. (Josh. iii. 16. 1 Kings iv. 12; vii. 46, 
2 Chi'on. iv. 17.) 

ZEBOIM— one of the foui- cities of the Plain of Sid- 
dim_, which were overthrown for their irickedness. 

ZIKLAG — a city of the Philistines, situated in the 
south of Canaan. It was allotted to the tribe of Judah, 
and afterwards to that of Simeon. (Josh. xv. 31; xix. 5.) 
The Philistines, however^ retained possession of it until 
the time of Da^dd, to whom it was given by Achish 
(1 Sam. xxvii. 5^ 6.) It was afterwards bm-nt by the 
Amalekites. (1 Sam. xxx. 1.) 

ZIPH. — There were two places of this name, both in 
the tribe of Judah ; one being situated on the border ot 
Edom, and the other in the mountains^ near Maon and 
Carmel, (Josh. xv. 24^ 55^) eight miles from Hebron. 

ZOAH, or BEL A {small) — one of the five cities of the 
plaiij, which were doomed to destructiou ; but at the in- 



372 



CITIES, ETC. ZORAH. 



tercesszon of Lot, Zoar was saved. It is supposed to "have 
stood near wliat is now tlie sonthern extremity of the 
Dead Sea, near where the village of Szafye stands, at 
the confluence of the Wady El Ahsa with the waters of 
the lake. 

ZOKAH' — a city in the tribe of Dan, the birth-place 
of Samson. (Judg. xiii.) Its inhabitants were called 
both Zorites and Zorathites. (1 Chi'on. ii. 54; iv. 2.) 

"Famed land of the olive, the fig-tree and vine, 
Loved home of the patriarch, fair Palestine I 

We mourn for that greatness — departed how soon 1 
Which erst midst the nations uphore thee, 
Since the blast of the dreadful and deadly Simoom 

Hath swept with its pestilence o'er thee ; 
And left thee a wilderness dreary and still, 
For the wandering Arab to roam at his will. 

Thy cities which tower' d mid the landscape to view, 
Once crowded and many, are lonesome and few. 

Desolation and ruin have passed in their march, 

O'er the scenes of thy primitive glory. 
And broken the column, and shattered the arch, 

And destroyed each memorial of story. 
Thy cisterns are useless, thy fountains ai-e dry, 
And the graves of thy princes are bared to the sky." 



A SURVEY OF THE HOLY LAND, 



PART IL 



HISTORICAL SKETCH OF PALESTINE. 



CHAPTER L 

Inhabitants of Palestine prior to its Conquest by the Israelites- 
Seizure and Distribution of the Land by Joshua — The Kingdom under 
David and Solomon. 




HE earliest inliabitants of Pales- 
tine of which we have any account 
were the Canaanites — the descend- 
ants of Canaan, tlie youngest son 
of Ham, and grandson of Noah; 
who is supposed to have settled 
here shortly after the dispersion 
of Babel, and divided this and 
the adjacent country among his 
leven sons, each of whom was the 
head of a numerous clan, and these clans in 
process of time became powerful and warlike nations. 
(Gen. X. 15, et seq.) From this common stock descended 
the Sidonians, Tyrians, Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, 
Girgashites, Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Arvadites, Zemar- 
ites, Hamathites, and Perizzites. In the time of Abra- 
ham, the Land of Canaan was occupied by ten nations ; 
viz. the Kenites, Keni^zites, Kadmonites, Hittites, 



374 INHABITANTS OF PALESTINE PRIOR TO 



Perizzites, Rephaims, Amorites,, Canaanites, Girgashites, 
and Jebusites. (Gen. xv. 18 — 21.) The Hittites inha- 
bited the country about Hebron, as far as Beer- 
sheba, and the brook Sihor. The Jebusites dwelt near 
them northward, from Hebron to Jebus or Jerusalem. 
The Amorites possessed the country on the east side 
of Jordan, between the river Arnon and the mountains 
of Gilead, afterwards allotted to Reuben and Gad. The 
Girgashites lay next above the Amorites, on the east side 
of the Sea of Tiberias, and their territory was after- 
wards assigned to the half-tribe of Manasseh. The 
Hivites occupied northward, under Mount Hermon, in 
the land of Mizpeh or Gilead. The Perizzites are sup- 
posed, by Heylin and others, to have been the descend- 
ants of Sina or Sini; and it is probable, since we do 
not read of their being resident in cities, that they led a 
nomadic life, like the Scythians, roving on both sides of 
the Jordan in search of pasturage ; and that they were so 
called from the Hebrew pharatz, which signifies " to dis- 
perse.-'^ The Canaanites dwelt in the very midst of the 
land, by the Mediterranean Sea westward, and by the 
coast of Jordan eastward. This appears to have been the 
respective situation of the seven Canaanitish nations, which 
were doomed to destruction for their idolatry and mcked- 
ness, and which the Israelites were commanded to extermi- 
nate. (Compare Numb. xiii. 29. Josh, xi. 3. Judg. 
iii. 3.) The occupations of these tribes were various, 
according to their respective local advantages. Some were 
merchants, and, consequeutly, mariners ; others, artificers, 
soldiers, shepherds, or husbandmen. "VYe learn from their 
history that, however diversified by their occupations 
or local interests, they were ready to unite in a common 
cause ; that they v/ere well appointed for war, both 
oiiensive and defensive; that their towns were strongly 
fortified ; that they were sufficiently furnished with military 



ITS CONQUEST BY THE ISRAELITES. 



375 



weapons and chariots of war ; that they were daring-, obsti- 
nate, and almost invincible ; and that they were not desti- 
tute of craft and policy. They were early addicted to 
idolatry ; though it appears that the true religion was not 
wholly lost among them in the time of Abraham, who ac- 
knowledged Melchizedek, king of Salem, to be a priest of 
the Most High God. They must, however, have become 
very degenerate in the time of Isaac and Eebekah ; for they 
could not endure the thought of Jacobus marrying one of 
the daughters of Heth, as Esau had done. In the days of 
Moses, they were notorious and incorrigible idolaters ; for 
he commands the Israelites to "destroy their altars, and 
break down their images, (statues or pillars,) and cut down 
their groves, and burn their graven images with fire.'' 
(Deut. vii. 5.) They are accused of the cruel practice of 
sacrificing men, and causing their children to pass through 
the fire to Moloch. (Levit. xviii. 21.) " The Canaanites,'' 
observes Mr. Bryant, " as they were a sister tribe of the 
Mizraim, (the Egyptians,) resembled them in their rites 
and religion. They held a heifer, or cow, in high venera- 
tion, agreeably to the customs of Egypt. Their chief deity 
was the sun, which they worshipped, together with the 
Baalim, under the titles of Ourchol, Adonis, or Thamuz." 
And their morals were as corrupt as their doctrine; 
adultery, whoredom, profanation, incest, bestiality, and all 
manner of uncleanness, are the sins laid to their charge. 
And, lest they should pervert and contaminate the Israel- 
ites, the latter were strictly enjoined not to intermarry, or 
form any connexion with them ; but to " smite them, and 
utterly destroy them, nor show mercy upon them.'' (Deut. 
vii. 2 — 4.) The war which the Israelites were commissioned 
to make upon these nations was to be a war of extermina- 
tion ; they were to spare neither sex nor age, but utterly 
extirpate them from the land. This has been a fruitful 
source of litigation with infidels, and is adduced by Paine 



376 INHABITiiNTS OF PALESTINE PRIOR TO 

and others for the purpose of invalidating the credibility of 
the Pentateuch. It has been alleged that the command to 
perpetrate such an act of cruelty is incompatible with the 
moral justice of God. The futility of this objection will 
appear from the following pertinent remarks of Paley : — 
'^The first thing to be observed is^ that the nations of 
Canaan were destroyed for their wickedness. This is plain 
from Levit. xviii. 24^ et seq. The facts disclosed in this 
passage sufficiently testify, that the Cauaanites were a 
wicked people; that detestable practices were general 
amongst them, and even habitual; that it was for these 
enormities they were destroyed. It was not, as some have 
imagined, to make way for the Israelites; nor was it 
simply to make away with their idolatry ; but it was be- 
cause of the abominable crimes which usually accompanied 
the latter. And we may further learn from this passage, 
that God^s abhorrence of these crimes, and his indignation 
against them, are regulated by the rules of strict imparti- 
ality, since Moses solemnly warns the Israelites against 
falling into the like wicked courses, " that the land,^' says 
he, " spew not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spewed 
out the nations that were before you ; for whosoever shall 
commit any of these abominations, even the souls that 
commit them shall be cut off from among their people.''' 
(Levit. xviii. 28, 29.) Now when God, for the wickedness 
of a people, sends an earthquake, or a fii-e, or a plague 
amongst them, there is no complaint of injustice, especially 
when the calamity is expressly declared to be inflicted 
for the wickedness of such people. "It is rather re 
garded as an act of exemplary penal justice, and, as 
such, consistent with the character of the moral Governor 
of the universe. The objection, therefore, is not to 
the Canaanitish nations being destroyed ; (for when 
their national wickedness is considered, and when that 
is expressly stated as the cause of their destruction, 



ITS CONQUEST BY THE ISRAELITES. 377 

the dispensation^ however severe, will not be questioned ;) 
but the objection is solely to the manner of destroying 
them. I mean there is nothing but the manner left to be 
objected to : their wickedness accounts for the thing it- 
self. To which objection it may be replied, that if the 
thing itself be just, the manner is of little signification, 
of little signification even to the sufferers themselves. For 
where is the great difference, even to them, whether they 
were destroyed by an earthquake, a pestilence, a famine, 
or by the hands of an enemy ? Where is the difference, 
even to our imperfect apprehensions of Divine justice, 
provided it be, and is known to be, for their wickedness 
that they are destroyed ? But this destruction, you say, 
confounded the innocent with the guilty ; the sword of 
Joshua, and of the Jews, spared neither women nor 
children. Is it not the same with all other national visit- 
ations ? Would not an earthquake, or a fire, or a plague, 
or a famine amongst them have done the same ? Even 
in an ordinary and natural death the same thing happens; 
God takes away the life he lends, without regard, that we 
can perceive, to age, or sex, or character. " But, after 
all, promiscuous massacres, the burning of cities, the 
laying waste of countries, are things dreadful to reflect 
upon.^^ Who doubts it ? — so are all the judgments of 
Almighty God. The effect, in whatever way it shows 
itself, must necessarily be tremendous, when the Lord, 
as the Psalmist expresses it, moveth out of his place to 
punish the wicked.-* But it ought to satisfy us, at least 
this is the point upon which we ought to rest and fix our 
attention, that it was for excessive, wilful, and forewarned 
wickedness, that all this befel them, and that it is all 
along so declared in the history which recites it. 

But, further, if punishing them by the hands of the 
Israelites rather than by a pestilence, an earthquake, a 
fire, 01 any such calamity, be still an objection, we may 

3 c 



378 INHABITANTS OF PALESTINE PRIOR Tu 

perceive^ I think, some reasons for this method of punish- 
ment in preference to any other whatever j always bear- 
ing in our mind, that the question is not concerning the 
justice of the punishment, but the mode of it. It is well 
known, that the people of those ages were affected by no 
proof of the power of the gods which they worshiped, so 
deeply as by their giving them victory in war. It was by 
this species of evidence that the superiority of their own 
gods above the gods of the nations which they conquered 
was, in their opinion, evinced. This being the actual per- 
suasion which then prevailed in the world, no matter 
whether well or ill founded, how were the neighbouring 
nations, for whose admonition this dreadful example was 
intended, how were they to be convinced of the supreme 
power of the God of Israel above the pretended gods of 
other nations ; and of the righteous character of Jehovah, 
that is, of his abhorrence of the vices which prevailed in 
the land of Canaan ? How, I say, were they to be con- 
vinced so well, or at all indeed, as by enabling the Israelites, 
whose God he was known and acknowledged to be, to con- 
quer under his banner, and drive out before them, those 
who resisted the execution of that commission with which 
the Israelites declared themselves to be invested, namely, 
the expulsion and extermination of the Canaanitish nations ? 
This convinced surrounding countries, and all who were ob- 
servers or spectators of what passed, first, that the God of 
Israel was a real God ; secondly, that the gods which other 
nations worshiped, were either no gods, or had no power 
against the God of Israel; and thirdly, that it was he, 
and he alone, who possessed both the power and the will, 
to punish, to destroy, and to exterminate from before bis 
face, both nations and individuals, who gave themselves 
up to the crimes and wickedness for which the Canaanites 
were notorious. Nothing of this sort would have appeared, 
or with the same evidence, from an earthquake, or a 



ITS CONQUEST BY THE ISRAELITES. 379 

plague, or any national calamity. These might not have 
been attributed to Divine agency at all, or not to the 
interposition of the God of Israel. 

Another reason which made this destruction both more 
necessary, and more general, than it would" have otherwise 
been, was the consideration, that if any of the old inhabit- 
ants were left, they would prove a snare to those who 
succeeded them in the country ; would draw and seduce 
them by degrees into the vices and corruptions which 
prevailed amongst themselves. Vices of all kinds, but 
vices most particularly of the licentious kind, are asto- 
nishingly infectious. A little leaven leaveneth the whole 
lump. A small number of persons, addicted to them, and 
allowed to practise them with impunity or encouragement, 
will spread them through the whole mass. This reason 
is formally and expressly assigned, not simply for the 
punishment, but for the extent to which it was carried ; 
namely, extermination : ^ Thou shalt utterly destroy them, 
that they teacli you not to do after all their abomina- 
tions, which they have done unto their gods.' 

In reading the Old Testament account, therefore, of 
the Jewish wars and conquests in Canaan, and the terrible 
destruction brought upon the inhabitants thereof, we are 
always to remember that we are reading the execution 
of a dreadful but just sentence, pronounced by Jehovah 
against the intolerable and incorrigible crimes of these 
nations : that they were intended to be made an example 
to the wbole world of God^s avenging wrath against sins, 
which, if they had been suffered to continue, might have 
polluted tlie whole ancient world, and which could only 
be checked by the signal and public overthrow of nations 
notoriously addicted to them, and so addicted as even to 
have incorporated them into their religion and their pub- 
lic institutions ; and that the Israelites were mere instru- 
ments in the hands of a righteous Providence for effecting 



380 INHABITANTS OF PALESTINE PRIOK TO 



the extirpation of a people, of whom it vyas necessary to 
make a public example to the rest of mankind; that this 
extermination, which might have been accomplished by a 
pestilence, by fire, by earthquakes, was appointed to be 
done by the hands of the Israelites, as being the clearest 
and most intelligible method of displaying the power and 
the righteousness of the God of Israel ; his power over the 
pretended gods of other nations ; and his righteous indigna- 
tion against the crimes into which they were fallen/' 

While Abraham sojourned in the Land of Promise, as 
in a strange country, God promised him that his pos- 
terity should afterwards receive it for an inheritance, 
"And the Lord said unto Abram, Lift up now thine eyes, 
and look from the place where thou art, northward, and 
southward, and eastward, and westward ; for aU the land 
which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed 
for ever/' (Gen. xiii, 14, 15.) By a series of great and 
marvellous occurrences, extending through several cen- 
turies, the fulfilment of this promise was brought about. 
During the 430 years the Israelites remained in Egypt, 
(though during a great part of that period they were 
grievously harassed and oppressed,) they " increased abun- 
dantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty ; 
and the land was fiUed with them so that at the time 
of their departure from Egypt, they numbered 603,550 
males capable of bearing arms, that is, above twenty 
years old. (Numb. i. 45, 46; Exod. xii. 37.)* After a 
tedious and circuitous march through the wilderness, 
which occupied forty years, they at length pitched their 

* The increase of the Hebrews during 430 years, from seventy per- 
sons to 603,550 males over twenty years of age, besides 22,000 males of 
a month old and upwards among the Levites, (Exod. xii. 37 ; Numb, 
i. 45, 46; iii. 39,) has appeared to many incredible. The number of 
600,000 men capable of bearing arms, necessarily makes the whole num- 
ber of people amount to 2,400,000, or about two and a-half millions. 
An anonymous writer in the Literarischen Anzeiger, 1796, Oct. 4, s. 
31 1, has demonstrated that the Hebrews, in 430 years, might have in- 



ITS CONQUEST BY THE ISRAELITES. 



381 



tents on the banks of the Jordan ; whose waters, deep 
and rapid, were divided for their passage. And thus 
this extraordinary journey terminated with a miracle 
similar to that with which it had commenced. 

The miraculous passage of the Jordan, and the miracu- 
lous capture of Jericho which immediately followed, tended 

creased from seventy persons to 977,280 males over twenty years old. 
He supposes that of those seventy' persons who went to Egypt, only 
forty remained alive after a space of twenty years, each one of whom 
had two sons. In like manner, at the close of every succeeding period 
of twenty years, he supposes one-fourth part of those who were alive at 
the commencement of the period, to have died. Hence arises the fol- 
lowing geometrical progression : 

After twenty years, of thg seventy there are forty living, each having 
two sons. 

Consequently z;^ 80 
80 ^ =120 
120 I =180 
180 I =270 
and so on 

Thus the first term of the progression is 80= — n. 

The denominator -1= =& 

The num-ber of terms W —n 
Therefore the expression for the whole sum will be, 
ab«—a 80x|43_80 80 x 6109—80 

^nr^'^^i = i — =9"'28o 

Accordlng .to the American ratios for each period of ten years from 
1790 to 1820, the population had, in these thirty years, increased 144 
per cent.: or had doubled itself in about twenty-three years : see Breiv- 
ster's Encyc. 1830, article Po'pulation. But, on the average, it appears 
that, taking all the States together, they may fairly be considered as 
doubling their population in twenty-five years, from their own resources, 
exclusively of immigration: see Supplement to Encyc, Briiann. \o\. 
vi. pp. 308, 310. 

Now the Hebrews were in a state of freedom and prosperity favour- 
able to population, for the space of between three and four centuries 
previously to the rise of the dynasty under which they were oppressed ; 
and their exceedingly great increase is distinctly spoken of in the books 
of Moses. (Compare Gen. xxxii. 17, and Exod. i. 7.) If we allow 
them, during 430 years, to have doubled themselves in periods of not 

W 

less than twenty-nine years ; then 2 x 68 = 1,977,227 males ; for 
the other sex are not reckoned among the 68. (Gen. xlvi. 26.) 



582 INHABITANTS OF PALESTINE^ ETC. 



powerfully to impress the Canaanites with the majesty of 
that God whom the Israelites adored, and who attended 
their triumphant march with so many tokens of his presence 
and power. The same circumstances which inspired the 
Hebrews with confidence, and assured them of success in 
their endeavours to obtain possession of the promised in- 
heritance^ were eminently adapted to inspire their enemies 
with terror and to accelerate their final subjection. It is 
not, however, to be inferred that these powerful and war- 
like tribes were subdued without difficulty. They resisted 
with obstinate valour, and kept Joshua employed six years, 
from the time of his passing the Jordan and entering 
Canaan, in the year B.C. 1451, to the year B.C. 1445, the 
sabbatical year beginning from the autumnal equinox, 
when this desultory war ceased, and Joshua rested from 
his conquests. " And the Lord gave them rest round 
about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers : 

The censuses of the United States, for thirty years, of ten years each, 
gave of the population hetween the ages of twenty-six and forty- 
five, or -J neai^y. Corhaux (Natural and Mathematical Laws of 
Population ) calculates that, in France, about of the whole popu- 
lation are twenty years old and upwards. But if we take the 
smaller proportion allowed in the Statistigue Generate et Particuliere 
de la France, and say that f of the male Hebrew population of twenty 
years old and upwards were able-bodied : then § of = and 
1977227 X = 724,983 men of the above class : a proportion which, 
supposing the sexes equal, is less than the usual number allowed, or 
of an indiscriminate population, in the ratio of l-lf nearly. 

If we apply the formula log. (1 + ^ = log. A. — log. P ; 

n 

log. 1977227 — log. 6 8 
then 430 = .010380 = log. 1.02418 ; and ^ = 

.02418 = nearly, for the annual increase, — a ratio less, according 

to Humboldt, (Encyc. Britann, vol. vi. p. 311,) than that of New 
Spain, not to say of North America, — the increase of the population in 
New Spain having been, as it would appear, for fifty years, about 
Lastly, if we allow 29f years for the doubling of the Hebrew popu- 

43 

lation, — then 2 x 68 x ■— = 609,079 : and the annual increasa 
= nearly : — which ratio, as well as the former, is consistent with 
Llia cable of Euler, 



SEIZURE AND DISTRIBUTION. ETC. 383 

and there stood not a man of all tbeir enemies before 
them ; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their 
hand." (Josh. xxi. 44.) Many of the Canaanites 
sought safety in flight some fled into Africa, and 
others into Greece.* 

On the conquest and expulsion of the Canaanites, 
Joshua dividea the land into twelve cantons, assigning 
one to each of the twelve tribes, which they drew by lot 
according to their families. In like manner the allotment 
of each tribe was subdivided^ and, byanequitable distribu- 
tion, apportioned to the several families of the tribe. The 
inheritance of each tribe formed a distinct and separate 
province, and the inhabitants of each province were con- 
nected by the ties of relationship. They were not only 
subjects of the same nation, but brethren of the same 
tribe ; descended from one common patriarch. The same 
rule was observed in the settlement of families, so that 
those who were the most nearly related might dwell to- 
gether. As an illustration, we may suppose each tribe to 
be located in a separate county, and each family to occupy 
a distinct hundred or subdivision of that county; so that 
the inhabitants of every neighbourhood were relations — 
attached and united to each other by natural sympathies 
and local interests. And in order to consolidate the 
elements of the growing commonwealth, and to preserve 
as nearly as possible an equilibrium of wealth and power, 
it was ordained, by an unalterable statute, that the allot- 
ment of each tribe and the estate of each family should 
be inalienable ; that there should be no interchange or 

* Procopius says, they first retreated into Egypt, and afterwards 
advanced into Africa, where they built many cities, and spread them- 
selves over those vast regions which reach to the straits, preserving their 
old language with little alteration. In the time of AthanasiuSj, t?ie 
Africans still said they were descended from the Canaanites ; and when 
asked their origin, they answered, " Canaani." It is agreed, that the 
Punic tongue bore a strong analogy to the Canaanitish, or Hebrew. 



384 SEIZURE AND DISTRIBUTION, ETC. 



permaneiit transfer of property from one tribe to another. 
By tlie law of Jubilee, it was enacted that every fiftieth 
yeai', all lands should revert to their original possessors — 
to the families to which tliey were assigned at the first 
division of the land by Joshua. " Ye shall hallow the 
fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land, 
unto all the inhabitants thereof ; it shall be a jubilee unto 
you, and ye shall return every man to his possession, and 
ye shall return every man to his family. And the land 
shall not be sold for ever; (or, as in the margin, "be 
quite cut off," or alienated from the family •) for the land 
is mine, for ye are strangers and sojourners with me." 
(Lev. XXV. 10, et seq.) From this it appears, that how often 
soever an estate may have been sold, or mortgaged, or 
through how many hands soever it may have passed in 
the interim, yet every fiftieth year it must return, dis- 
charged of all incumbrances, to the heirs of its original 
possessors. 

The condition on which the Israelites held their pos- 
sessions was that of rendering military service. " The 
grounds of exemption allowed by Moses," observes Dr. 
Russell, " clearly prove that every man of competent age 
was bound to bear arms in defence of his country; a con- 
clusion which is at once strikingly illustrated and con- 
firmed by the conduct of the senate, or heads of tribes, 
in the melancholy war undertaken by them against the 
children of Benjamin. Upon a muster of the confede- 
rated army at Mizpeh, it was discovered that no man 
had been sent from Jabesh-Gilead to join the camp; 
whereupon it Was resolved, that 12,000 soldiers shouW 
be despatched to put the inhabitants of that town t^ 
military execution. The only reason assigned for this 
severe measure was, that ' when the people were num- 
bered, there were none of the men of Jabesh-Gilead 
there.'" (Judges xxi. 8—13.)* 

* Palestine, p. 53. 



THE KINGDOM UNDER DAVID AND SOLOMON. 385 

In this division of the land, the posterity of Ephraim 
and Manasseh, the two sons of Joseph, had their por- 
tions as distinct tribes, in consequence of J acob having 
adopted them. The tribe of Levi, which formed, in 
effect, a thirteenth tribe, had no separate allotment. 
The Levites being appointed to minister in holy things, 
without secular encumbrance, there were assigned to 
them the tenth and first-fruits of the estates of their 
brethren ; forty-eight cities were appropriated to their 
residence, thence called Levitical cities, which were 
dispersed among the twelve tribes, and had their re- 
spective suburbs, and land surrounding them. Six of 
these were cities of refuge. This division of the land, 
the whole being united under one government, con- 
tinued till the time of Eehoboam — a period of 475 
years. From the death of Joshua till the institution of 
royalty the people were governed by Judges, or Military 
Chiefs : an order of men expressly appointed by God to 
defend them from the rapacity of the surrounding states, 
and to guide the civil and ecclesiastical affairs of the 
nation. 

During the reigns of David and Solomon, the Hebrew 
empire appears to have reached its zenith, enjoying a 
degree of prosperity and commanding an extent of ter- 
ritory unknown at any former or after period of its 
history. The people enterprising and industrious — the 
land richly cultivated — foreign foes held in abeyance — 
justice dispensed with an even hand — all the legitimate 
wants of the people supplied — want and disease almost 
unknown — the twelve tribes linked together in the 
bonds of a common brotherhood, and placed under one 
compact and wisely-administered government — but 
above all, the worship of Jehovah, and the pompous 
ceremonial with which it was celebrated, established 
the Hebrew empire in the respect and admiration of 



386 THE KINGDOM UNDER DAVID AND SOLOMON. 

surrounding nations, and made it the most powerful 
and flourisliing monarchy in Western Asia. The con- 
quests of David had greatly extended the kingdom, and 
produced a salutary awe on the neighbouring nations ; 
consequently, the reign of Solomon was peaceable. 
The predominant tribe of Judah lay as a lion which no 
one ventured to rouse up. (Gen. Ixix. 9 ; Numb, xxiii. 
24; xviv. 9.) From the Mediterranean Sea to the 
Euphrates, from the river of Egypt and the Elanitic Gulf 
to Berytus, Hamath, and Thapsacus, and eastward to the 
Hagarenes on the Persian Gulf; all were subject to the 
sway of Solomon. The warlike and civilized Philistines, 
the Edomites, Moabites, and Ammonites, the nomadic 
Arabians of the desert, and the Syrians of Damascus, 
were all tributary to him. The encouragement given to 
commerce, and the enterprising spirit of Solomon, brought 
immense wealth into the country; and the arts and 
sciences were patronized and fostered by him. Many 
foreigners, and even sovereign princes, were attracted to 
Jerusalem to see and converse with its illustrious monarch. 
(1 Kings V. 9 — 14; x. 1 — 13.) The good order observ- 
able in all departments of the state — the systematic de- 
spatch of public business — the arrangements for security 
from foreign and domestic enemies — the splendid equipage 
and retinue of the king — the pomp and etiquette of his 
court — the army, the cavalry, the armouries, the chariots, 
the palaces, the temple, the priesthood, and the effective 
administration of civil and ecclesiastical affairs, excited as 
much admiration as the wisdom and learning of the 
Jewish monarch. But these days were not to last long. 
Intestine feuds — foreign wars — the oppression and misrule 
of tyrannical princes — the idolatry and wickedness of the 
people, consummated by the rejection and murder of the 
Messiah, involved them in a series of calamities, through 
a period of more than 900 years, to which history fur- 
nishes no parallel. 



CHAPTER n. 



Revolt of the Ten Tribes, and Formation of the Kingdoms of Judah 
and Israel — Invasion of Israel, and Capture of the Ten Tribes by 
Shalmaneser — InTasion of the Kingdom of Judah, and Destruction of 
the Temple and City of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar — Review of 
the Two Kingdoms. 



At the death of Solomon the empire suffered a fearful 
paralysis. The rulers assembled at Shechem, the capital 
of the powerful tribe of J oseph, which had always been the 
jealous rival of Judah. They represented to Rehoboam, 
the heir to the throne, that the people were groaning under 
a weight of taxation, and wished to stipulate with him, that 
he should alleviate the burdens which Solomon his father 
had imposed upon them. Rehoboam required three days 
to deliberate on their proposal ; and, at the expiration of 
that time, instead of granting their request, as the older 
and more prudent of his counsellors urged him to do, he 
rashly refused, and threatened to lay on them a heavier 
yoke, and to govern them in a more arbitrary manner than 
his father had done. This brought on the national crisis ; 
ten of the tribes renounced their allegiance, and erected 
themselves into a separate kingdom under Jeroboam, the 
son of Nebat. The tribes of Benjamin and Judah, adher- 
ing to Rehoboam, formed what was afterwards called the 
kingdom of Judah, and of which Jerusalem was the metro- 
polis. Jeroboam ruled over ten tribes, together with all 
the tributary nations as far as the Euphrates ; and this was 
now called the kingdom of Israel. The kingdom of Judah 



388 aEvoLT OP the tf., tribes, etc. 

TV 

comprised all the southern parts of the land, including the 
allotments of Benjamin and Judah, together with so much 
of the territories of Dan and Simeon as were intermixed 
with that of Judah. To this division also belonged Phi- 
listia and Edom ; hut the whole of the territory which now 
constituted the kingdom of Judah, scarcely amounted to a 
fourth part of the dommions of Solomon. 

It is remarkable that the kingdom of Israel had not 
so much as one pious king. The curse of Heaven followed 
the revolted tribes, and the kingdom they had set up. 
Monarchs and people were alike degenerate. Having 
departed from God, they were abandoned to idolatry, and 
the worst of vices ; and of nineteen kings who reigned in 
Israel, from Jeroboam the first to Hoshea the last, the 
Scripture character appended to each is, that " he did that 
which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and departed not 
from the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who caused 
Israel to sin.^* The accumulated calamities that befel 
them in consequence of their crimes, failed to effect a 
general and permanent reformation. The impression pro- 
duced by the repeated judgments of Jehovah was fitful as 
the morning cloud and transient as the early dew. At 
length, in the reign of Hoshea, the measure of their ini- 
quities being full, the wrath of an offended God came 
upon them to the uttermost, and they were given as a prey 
to the Assyrians. Hoshea, though not in all respects so 
degenerate as his predecessors, made no stand against 
idolatry ; and his kiugdom had been so rent and weakened 
by intestine broils during the nine years of anarchy that 
preceded his accession to the throne, that he was unable to 
withstand the Assyrian power. When, therefore, Shalma- 
neser invaded him, he was obliged to become tributary ; 
but about five years after, he imprudently attempted to 
shake off the yoke, and regain his independence. For 
this purpose, he formed an alliance with So, king of Egypt, 



INVASION or ISRAEL, ETC. 



389 



and imprisoned the Assyrian officer who was appointed to 
collect the tribute. Upon this, Shalmaneser laid siege to 
Samaria, and after three years, during which the inhabit- 
ants suffered great privations, he gained possession of the 
city and destroyed it, carried away the king and people, 
and placed them ''^in Halah, (Chalachene,) and in Habor^ 
by the river Gozau, (on the east side of the Tigris,) and in 
the cities of the Medes,^' where Tiglath-Pileser had placed 
their brethren eighteen years before. To supply the place 
of the expatriated Israelites, colonists were brought to 
Samaria from Babylon, Cuthah, Ava, Hamath, and Se- 
pharvaim. It appears also that Esar-haddon afterwards 
sent other colonists into this country. (Compare Ezra iv. 
2, and 9, 10.) Thus was an end put to the kingdom of 
Israel, in the sixth year of Hezekiah, 722 years B.C., and 
253 from its commencement under Jeroboam. 

The kingdom of Judah, thongh greatly inferior in 
population and extent, smnaved that of Israel 134 years, 
t was favoured with several pious nionai'chs, amongst 
>rliom were Asa, Hezekiah, Jehoshaphat, and Josiah; 
and, though guilty of frequent relapses into idolatry, 
and violations of the theocratic constitution, Judah was 
less uniform in wickedness than Israel, and there were 
intervals when both king and people " humbled them- 
selves before the Lord, and prepared theii* hearts unto 
the God of their fathers." During the last twenty- 
three years of the kingdom of Judah, little mention is 
made of idolatiy in the historical books ; but from the 
occasional notices of it by Jeremiah and Ezekiel, it is 
evident that at that time it had risen to a higher pitch 
than ever. (See the first ten chapters of Jeremiah; 
Ezek: viii. and xi ; xiv. 1 — 11; xvi. 1 — 63; xxiii. 1 — 
48 ; xliv. 9, and other places.) 

Repeated attempts were made during the reign of 
the good prince Josiah to purge out the old leaven of 



390 INVASION OF THE KINGDOM OF JUDAH, ETC. 

idolatry, and to bring back tbe people to the true 
worship of Jebovab. He aimed at a thorough reforma- 
tion both of religion and morals ; destroying not only 
the more modern seats and altars of idolatry, but also 
the ancient high-places built by Solomon in the time of 
his apostacy, and the altar made by Jeroboam at Bethel. 
He extended his efforts for the disgracing and utter 
annihilating of the worship of idols, not only to the 
neighbouring tribes of Simeon, Ephi'aim, and Manasseh, 
but even to the distant tribe of Naphtali, and endea- 
voured to render it an object of universal disgust and 
abhorrence. In the eighteenth year of his reign, while 
he was engaged in, repairing the temple, the manu- 
script of the law of Moses, which had been lost, was 
found; and this circumstance materially aided Josiah 
in his pious endeavours to bring back the people to 
their allegiance to Jehovah, in which he was eminently 
successful. This good king was mortally wounded in 
a battle -with Necho, king of Egypt, in the Plain of 
Esdraelon, near Megiddo. 

After the death of Josiah, the kingdom of Judah 
hastened rapidly to ruin. The people raised to the throne 
Jehoahaz, the younger son of Josiah. After three months, 
Necho, king of Egypt, deposed him, made his kingdom 
tributary, and placed on the throne his elder brother 
Eliakim, to whom he gave the name of Jehoiakim. This 
unworthy son of Josiah was one of the worst kings that 
ever ruled over Judah. In the fourth year of Jehoiakim, 
Nebuchadnezzar, son of Nabopolassar, the king of Babylon, 
having defeated the Egyptian army at Carchemish, (on the 
Euphrates,) marched against Jerusalem, which was then 
under the sovereignty of Egypt. After a short siege, 
J ehoiakim surrendered, but was again placed on the throne 
by the victorious prince. Nebuchadnezzar took some of 
the vessels and costly furniture of the temple as booty, and 
carried back with him to Babylon several young men, the 



INVASION OF THE KINGDOM OT" JUDAH, ETC. 391 

sons of the principal Jewish nobles, among whom were 
Daniel and his three companions, to assist in the service of 
his court, and at the same time to answer tlie purpose of 
hostages. From this period, namely, in the fourth year of 
Jehoiakim, (606 b. c.,) when the first captives were carried 
away to Babylon, the seventy years^ captivity properly 
commences. (Jer. xxv. 1 ; xlvi. 2.) * Three years after, 
Jehoiakim, relying probably on assistance from Egypt, re- 
belled against Babylon, when an immense army, composed 
of the Chaldeans, Syrians, Moabites, and Ammonites, who 
were at that time subject to Babylon, marched against 
Jerusalem. In this war Jehoiakim was probably slain, 
and his dead body suffered to lie unburied, as Jeremiah 
had predicted. (Jer. xxii. 19; xxxvi. 30.) He was suc- 
ceeded in the throne by his son Jehoiachin, or Jeconiah ; 
but he retained it only three months. Though he surren- 
dered to the besiegers, (the Chaldeans,) he was held a 
close prisoner. The wealth of the royal treasury, and the 
golden utensils of the temple procured by Solomon, were 
carried away to Babylon ; and the captive king himself, 
his whole court, 2000 nobles and men of w^ealth, 7000 
soldiers, 1000 artificers, amounting probably, with their 
wives, children, and dependants, to forty or fifty thousand 

* Some reckon, the commencement of the seventy years' captivity 
from the eleventh year of Zedekiah, when the city and temple were 
destroyed, and the entire population of the country, with the exception 
of a few hushandmen, were carried captives to Babylon. Tt is true, 
that from this sera to the fourth of Darius Hystaspes, when a decree 
was issued in favour of the Jews, and for resuming the building of 
the temple, which had been stopped by the interdict of Smerdis the 
Magian, was exactly seventy years. But the Scripture account makes 
these seventy years to commence with the fourth of Jehoiakim, when 
the first captives were earned away, and to terminate in the first year 
of Cyrus, (536 b. c.,) when the first decree was issued for liberating 
the Jews, and rebuilding their city and temple. (2 Chron. xxxvi. 22^ 
23. Ezra i.) See Jahn's Hist. Hebrew Commonwealth, p. 56, and 
Hansford's Scripture Gazetteer, p. 212. 



392 INVASION OF THE KINGDOM OF JUDAHj ETC. 

persons, were led into captivity to the river Chebar 
(Chaboras) in Mesopotamia. These captives constituted, 
in fact, the flower of the nation, which lost, by their 
removal, the stamina of its strength ; scarcely any, except 
the lower classes of plebeians and rustics, being left 
behind. Nebuchadnezzar placed on the vacant throne of 
Judah, Mattaniah, the uncle of Jehoiachin, and gave him 
the name of Zedekiah. (2 Kings xxiv. 8 — 18; 2 Chron. 
xxxvi. 5 — 8 ; Jer. xxii. 19 ; xxxvi. 30.) 

Zedekiah solemnly swore allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar 
by the God of his fathers ; but, notwithstanding this oath, 
in the ninth year of his reign, misled by evil counsellors, 
he raised the standard of rebellion, and entered into an 
alliance with Pharaoh -hophra, king of Egypt. The en- 
raged conqueror, with his powerful army, was again 
encamped before the walls of Jerusalem ; and now com- 
menced the most important and formidable siege which 
that city ever sustained, except that of Titus. It lasted 
two years, and during great part of that period the inha- 
bitants suffered all the horrors of famine. At length the 
Chaldean army were victorious ; the city was taken on the 
ninth day of the fourth month, (July,) in the eleventh 
year of ZedekiaVs reign, the eighteenth of the Babylonish 
captivity, and 588 b. c. Zedekiah and the garrison 
endeavoured to make their escape by night ; but were 
pursued and defeated by the Chaldeans in the plain of 
Jericho. The king was taken prisoner, and conveyed 
to Nebuchadnezzar, who was encamped at Riblah, in 
the province of Hamath. He commanded Zedekiah^s 
sons to be murdered before his face, 8.nd after witness- 
ing this sad spectacle, his eyes were put out, he was 
bound with fetters of brass, and conveyed to Babylon, 
where he was kept in prison till his death. Thus was 
fulfilled, to the very letter, the enigmatical prophecy of 
Ezekiel, that the king should be brought to Babylon, 



INVASION OF THE KINGDOM OF JJJDAH, ETC. 393 

and shoiild die there^ but should not see the place. 
(Ezek. xii. 13; xvii. 13—21; Jer. xxxvii. 3—10; 2 
Kings xxiv. 18 — 20; xxv. 1 — 7; 2 Ckron. xxxvi. 11 — 
17.) In the following month, Nebuzar-adan_, the com- 
mander of the royal life-guard, was sent to complete 
the work of destruction. The walls and houses of 
Jerusalem were demolished; the fortifications thrown 
down; the gold, silver, and brass of the temple taken 
away ; and that noble edifice, the sole remaining monu- 
ment of the piety and munificence of Solomon, together 
with the whole city, was set on fire and utterly destroyed. 
The principal inhabitants, as the instigators of the 
revolt, were put to death at Ptiblah, and the rest were 
doomed to exile. (2 Kings xxv. 8 — 21 ; 2 Chron. xxxvi. 
17 — 21; Jer. hi. 12.) The entire population of the 
city and country, with the exception of a few husband- 
men, were carried captives to Babylon. Four years 
after, in consequence of the murder of Gedahah, (the 
Hebrew governor appointed by Nebuchadnezzar,) and 
the Chaldean garrison, the few that remained, 745 in 
number, were taken away by Nebuzar-adan, and the 
land was entirely bereaved of its inhabitants. When 
the Assyrians depopulated Samaria, they fiUed up the 
blank by introducing colonists from that country. In 
the present instance no such measure was taken; the 
Holy City was forsaken, the land lay unoccupied and 
desolate; and, although tribes of wandering Arabs 
passed through the country, and the Idumseans settled 
in some of the southern parts of it, and beasts of the 
forest made their lair amid the ruined monuments and 
deserted habitations of Judsea, yet all around was one 
vast scene of desolation — an awful, unbroken, instruc- 
tive solitude — proclaiming, with silent yet impressive 
eloquence, the obstinate wickedness of man, and the 
vindicated majesty of Jehovah — and reiterating the 

3 i: 



394 



REVIEW OF THE TWO KINGDOMS. 



solemn trutli^ that " it is a fearfal thing to fall into the 
hands of the living G-od/^ 

" On reviewing the history of the Hebrew people^ from 
the generation sncceeding Joshua to the time of the Baby- 
lonish captivity, we see that the grand leading and pre- 
dominant sin, which associated itself with all others, was 
the perpetual tendency to idolatry. It is a melancholy 
consideration, that Solomon, the most splendid of all the 
kings, should have been the first to set the pubhc ex- 
ample of this enormity to his people ; and thereby to 
occasion, as a just judgment, the dismemberment of the 
monarchy. Idolatry was the sin which formed the nucleus 
of all degeneracy, and gave consohdation and strength to 
aU other evU practices. Hence we see the revolted tribes, 
among whom idolatry acquired the most fixed dominion, 
rejecting the loud calls to repentance, which sounded 
forth in the continual fulfilment of prophetic announce- 
ments. They resisted the remonstrances of the Prophets 
themselves ; the miracles wrought by some of them, as 
those of Elijah and EHsha; the judicial punishments 
which might be frequently witnessed in poHtical and 
national events; and all the express threatenings of 
future calamities. Notwithstanding aU these means of 
restraint, the kings and their subjects abandoned them- 
selves to rebellion against the God of their fathers ; till 
at last Shalmaneser, the AssjTian monarch, was per- 
mitted wholly to subvert the kingdom. 

If Judah was less uniformly degenerate than Israel, and 
did not so rapidly fill up the measure of her iniquities, still 
idolatry had taken too deep a root in the community to be 
extirpated by any ordinary methods of moral discipliae. 
With the example of Israel's fate before their eyes, the 
people of Judah were warned, during the latter period of 
their national existence, by incessant appeals of the most 
awakening character from some of the most powerful of 



REVIEW or THE TWO KINGDOMS. 



395 



tlie inspired messengers of tlie Most Higli. Calls to re- 
pentance^ promises, predictions,, denunciations, and ac- 
tual judgments, all failed to produce any lasting and 
decisive effect. So great was the tendency to idolatry 
in Judah, that all the efforts of pious kings, and of the 
faithful remnant, could not avail to bring back the na- 
tion to its allegiance to Jehovah. The interests of the 
true IMosaic religion, if for a moment they appeared to 
revive, immediately afterwards relapsed into neglect. 
Derision, imprisonment, or death, was the reward which 
the faithful prophet might anticipate, in the discharge 
of his Divine commission ; and neither thi^eats nor pro- 
mises, prosperity nor adversity, availed to produce a 
permanent reformation of reHgion and morals. 

To prevent a universal and final apostacy, by which 
Judah might have been sunk among the heathen nations, 
and aU guarantee for the preservation of the knowledge 
of the true God have vanished from the world, the Baby- 
lonian power vvas raised up to be the scourge of Judah, 
the avenger of the insulted majesty of Jehovah, and the 
means of preparing the Hebrew people for the future 
designs of infinite wisdom and mercy. In short, it may 
safely be affirmed, that there never was such an exhibi- 
tion of impiety and ingratitude, as that which is pre- 
sented in the history of the nations of Judah and Israel ; 
and no ^iew of human nature is more humiliating than 
that which is to be found in the annals of these two 
kingdoms.^'* 

* Lectures on the Polity and History of the Hebrews, by Professor 
Hoppus, pp. 83 — 91. 



CHAPTER in. 



The Sever ty Years' Captivity — Condition of the Hebrews in Exile 
--The Decree of Cyrus — Return of the Jews, and rebuilding of the 
City and Temple — Conquests of Alexander. 



The only sources of informatioii conceming tlie con- 
dition and treatment of the Jews in their captivity 
are^ the wiitings of the contemporary Prophets — J ere- 
niiah, Daniel_, and Ezekiel^ and those Psalms which we 
have reason to believe were written during this period. 
(Psalms V. X. xiii. xiv. xv. xxv. xxvi. xxvii. xxxvi. 
xxxvii. xhx. Hii. Ixvii. Ixxvii. Ixxx. Ixxxix. xcii. xciii. 
cxxx. cxxxvii. and perhaps cxxiii.) It is e"sddent, from 
these authentic records_, that the captive Hebrews were 
not all equally impHcated in the guilt of idolatry. There 
was among them a remnant^' of the true spnitual wor- 
shipers of Jehovah_, who_, in the midst of the general 
corruption^ had .stedfastly adhered to the pure principles 
of the theocracy ; though they, in common with the rest, 
suffered in the national calamity. To others, it is pro- 
bable, this awful visitation was so sanctified, as to bring 
them to reflection, and induce them to renounce that pre- 
dominant sin which had entailed upon them such accu- 
midated miseries. Some, it would seem, wished to blend 
the rites of idolatry with the mandates of the Mosaic law, 
they would not wholly renounce the former, and yet re- 



THE SEVENTY YEARS^ CAPTIVITY. 397 

tained some degree of reverence for J ehovah; (Ezek. xx.) 
they "feared the Lord, but served their own gods.'' It is 
certain, however, that they never, like other transplanted 
nations, intermingled with the people among whom they 
were settled, but continued a separate race. There were 
doubtless individual exceptions, but the nation as such 
remained distinct. The amalgamation with pagans, and 
the consequent extinction of the Hebrews as a pecuhar 
people, was prevented by the rite of circumcision, by the 
prohibition of various kinds of food allowed among the 
heathen, by ceremonial impurities, and by other insti- 
tutions which were designed to segregate and preserve 
the posterity of Israel as a distinct and prominent 
nation. The presence of Daniel and Ezekiel was 
doubtless highly beneficial to the captives in Babylon 
and by the river Chebar, and had a tendency to pre- 
serve among them the knowledge and practice of the 
true religion. Authority and force were given to the 
exhortations of these holy men by the prophecies 
which had been so signally fulfilled or were in course 
of accomplishment at that very time; especially the 
predictions respecting the downfal of the Assyrian 
empire, and of the city of Nineveh, the rapid rise and 
extension of the Babylonian monarchy, the overthrow 
of Tyre, the destruction of Jerusalem, and consequent 
captivity of the Jews. The striking fulfilment of these 
prophecies, in their minutest details, was calculated to 
exalt Jehovah in their estimation, and check their 
idolatrous propensities. Consequently, many of the 
ten tribes in Assyria, Halah, Gozan, and Media, were 
the sincere repentant worshipers of Jehovah; and it 
is difficult to conceive how the Jews in Babylon ^nd 
by the river Chebar could relapse into idolatry, with 
the severe dictates of experience to admonish them 
of its evils, and while such men as Daniel and Ezekiel 



398 THE SEVENTY YEARs' CAPTIVITY. 

were continually and earnestly reminding them of that 
God wlio claimed their homage. Indeed^ during the 
subjection of the Hebrews to the wholesome chastise- 
ment of a foreign yoke, God pursued them, so to 
speak, with the efficacious deahngs of his providence, 
with miracles and prophecies, with judgments and 
mercies, in order to compel them to preserve the true 
religion, and to place them in a situation in which it 
would hardly be possible for them to exchange the 
worship of the Creator and Governor of the world for 
the worship of idols. 

The estimation in which Daniel was held at the 
court of Babylon, in consequence of his extraordinary 
prophetic endowments, and the station which he and 
his three friends occupied in the counsels of Nebuchad- 
nezzar, soon after their settlement in exile, must have 
had a favourable influence on the physical and political 
condition of the captive nation. The image which 
Nebuchadnezzar set up to the idol Bel, gave occasion, 
indeed, to the enemies of the J ews to seek the destruc- 
tion of DanieFs three pious friends ; though he him- 
self, probably from his elevation to the highest office 
of the empire, appears to have escaped attack. The 
miraculous deliverance, however, of these three cap- 
tives from the flames to which they had been con- 
demned, and the mysterious appearance of a fourth 
and superhuman form in the furnace, gave a signal 
triumph to the Jewish religion over idolatry. The 
interpretation of the hand-writing upon the wall, by 
Daniel, in the reign of Belshazzar, was an additional 
proof of the supernatural power conferred upon him; 
which was exemplified immediately afterwards in the 
overthrow of the Chaldee-Babylonian empire by Cyrus. 
So m secure, however, were the religious hberties of 
the Hebrews, that Daniel himself, notwithstanding his 



CONDITION OF THE HEBREWS IN EXILE. 399 

miraculous powers, at length became the victim of tlie 
envy of the courtiers, on the pretext of disobedience 
to a royal decree, which they had procured in order 
to ensnare him, and which prohibited prayer to any 
deity for thirty days. Eut the wonderful deliverance 
of Daniel from the lions' den, much to the satisfaction 
of the king, was another triumph gained to the reli- 
gion of the Jews. Darius, like his predecessor Nebu- 
chadnezzar, publicly proclaimed the greatness and 
majesty of Jehovah, and commanded all the subjects 
of his empire to reverence him. Nor could the mar- 
vellous events which had occurred in connexion with 
the captive Hebrews, fail to produce their effect on 
the mind of such a prince as Cyrus, their destined 
deliverer.* 

" The condition of the Hebrews while in captivity,^' 
says Dr. Jahn, "was far from being one of abject 
wretchedness. This is manifest from the circumstance 
that a pious Hebrew prophet held the first office at the 
court of Babylon, — that three devout friends of this 
prophet occupied important political stations, — and 
that Jehoiachin, the former king of Judah, in the 
forty-fourth year of the captivity, was released from 
an imprisonment which had continued for thirty- six 
years, and was preferred in point of rank to all the 
kings who were then at Babylon, either detained as 
hostages, or present for the purpose of paying their 
homage to the Chaldee monarch. He was treated as 
the first of the kings ; he ate at the table of his con- 
queror; and received an annual allowance correspond- 
ing to his regal dignity. From these circumstances 
of honour a splendour must have been reflected back 
on all the exiles, so that they could neither be ilJ- 
treated, nor despised, nor very much oppressed. They 

* Hoppus's Lectures on the Polity and History of the Hebrews. 



400 CONDITION OF THE HEBREWS IN EXILE. 

were probably viewed as respectable colonists^ wbo 
enjoyed the peculiar protection of tbe sovereign. In 
tbe respect paid to JehoiacMn^ bis son Shealtiel ana 
bis grandson Zerubbabel nndonbtedly partook. If tbat 
story of the discussion before Darius^ in which Zerub- 
babel is said to have won the prize^ be a mere fiction, 
it is at least very probable that the young prince_, if he 
held no o^ce, had free access to the court, — a privilege 
which must have afforded him many opportunities of 
alleviating the unhappy circumstances of his country- 
men. It is, therefore, not at all surprising that when 
Cyrus gave the Hebrews permission to return to their 
own country, many, and perhaps even a majority of the 
nation, chose to remain behind, believing that they 
were more pleasantly situated where they were tl lan 
they would be in Judaea. It is not improbable that 
the exiles (as is implied in the story of Susannah, 
and as the tradition of the Jews affirms) had magis- 
trates and a prince from their own number. Jehoi- 
achin, and after him Shealtiel and Zerubbabel, might 
have been regarded as their princes, in the same 
manner as Jozadak and Jeshua were, as their high- 
priests. 

At the same time it cannot be denied that theii' 
humiliation, as a people punished by theii' God, was 
always extremely painful, and frequently drew on them 
expressions of contempt. The peculiarities of their 
religion afforded many opportunities for the ridicule 
and scorn of the Babylonians and Chaldeans, a striking 
example of which is given in the profanation of the 
sacred vessels of the temple. (Daniel v.) By such 
insults they would be made to feel so much the more 
sensibly the loss of their homes, their gardens, am 
fruitful fields, the burning of their capital and temple, 
and the cessation of the public solemnities of their 



THE SEVENTY YEARS' CAPTIVITY. 



401 



religicn. Under such circmnstances^ it is not strange 
tliat an inspired minstrel breaks ont into severe impre- 
cations against tlie scornful foes of liis nation. (Psalm 
cxxx^ii.) 

If the Israelites were ill-ti'eated in Assyria after 
the overthi'ow of Sennacherib in Judaea^ as the book 
of Tobit intimates_, this calamity was of short duration, 
for Sennacherib was soon after assassinated. The 
Israelites of Media appear to have been in a much 
better condition^ since Tobit advised his son to remove 
thither. (Tobit xiv. 4^ 1.2^ 13.) This is the more 
probable, as the rehgion of the Medes was not grossly 
idolatrous, and bore considerable resemblance to the 
Jewish. Even allowing that the worship of Oimuzd 
and of guardian angels is not more ancient than Zo- 
roaster, this celebrated reformer made his appearance 
between sixty and a hundi'ed years after the arrival of 
the Israehtes in Media. In the Zend-Avesta it is 
often mentioned that the reformation of Zoroaster 
took place under Guspasp, that is, Cyaxares I., who 
reigned fi'om 642 to 603 e.g.; and the Israehtes first 
went to Media, 7.22 b.c. Eut the first principles of 
the rehgion of Zoroaster are undoubtedly far more 
ancient, for he himself does not announce his doctrines 
as new, but as the ancient rehgion purified fi'om 
abuses. This seems to be confii'med by the fact, that 
in the aimy of Nebuchadnezzar', there was foimd a 
(Eabmag,) the Destui'an Destui' of Zoroaster, 
that is, a chief of the magi or mobeds. (Jer. xxxix. 3.) 
Consequently this rehgion had extended to Babylon as 
early as 587 b.c Moreover, at this early period it had 
penetrated even to Jerusalem, and in the reign of Josiah, 
who came to the throne 642 b.c and, consequently, be- 
fore Zoroaster began to pubhsh his doctrines in Media, 
there is mention made of the Persian chariots of the 
sun, and horses of the .'^'in at Jerusalem.^^ 

.3 r 



402 



THE DECREE OF CYRUS 



lu the year 539 b.c.^ Babylon was taKen by Cyrus, 
wbo was then acting as commander-general of his uncle 
Darius the Mede, or Cyaxares II. On the death of 
DariuSj two years after^ Cyrus became king of the united 
empire of the Medes and Persians ; and the captive 
Hebrews fell universally under his government. This 
great prince was the divinely appointed and predicted 
instrument of their restoration j and the same year 
which saw him ascend the throne_, (536 b.c.J was the 
last of the captivity. It had been foretold by Isaiah, 
(xliv. 28; xlv. 1 — 4^) that their deliverance should be 
effected by Cyrus. Accordingly, in the first year of his 
reign, he issued a proclamation throughout his empire, 
by a herald and by a written order, that all the Hebrew 
captives, without exception, were at liberty to return to 
the land of their fathers, and to rebuild the temple at 
Jerusalem. This general permission extended to the 
ten ti'ibes in Assyria, Halah, Gozan, and Media, as well 
as to the Jews at Chebar and Babylon. As a proof of 
the sincerity and generosity of Cyrus in making this 
offer, he gave up to the returning exiles all the gold and 
silver vessels of the temple, which had been taken aw^ay 
by Nebuchadnezzar, amounting to 5400, (Ezra i. 7 — 11,) 
and directed that the expense of its erection should be 
defrayed from the royal treasury ; which decree was re- 
corded in a written edict found fifteen years after in the 
archives of his palace at Ecbatana. (Ezra vi. 1 — 5.) 
The procuring of a decree so propitious, is doubtless 
attributable, under the workings of Divine Providence, 
to the influence and efforts of Daniel, who stood as high 
in favour with the Persian monarchs as he had done 
with the Chaldeans. Josephus affirms, that Daniel 
showed to Cyrus the prophecies of Isaiah referring to 
him, and that it was the manifest supernatural fore- 
knowledge evinced by these predictions, which were 



RETURN OF THE JEWS. 



403 



pronounced long before Ms birtli_, that induced tMs 
monarcli so readily to grant tlie request of his favourite 
courtier. This is by no means an arbitrary conjecture ; 
it is supported by the preamble to the edict of libera- 
tion. Thus saith Cyrus^ king of Persia : Jehovah, the 
God of heaven, hath given me all the kingdoms of the 
earth, and he hath charged me to build him a house at 
Jerusalem, which is in Judah.^^ (Ezra i. 2.) How could 
Cyrus have known this, if he had never read the pro- 
phecy of Isaiah ? 

In furtherance of the king^s design, Zerubbabel, 
grandson of King Jehoiachin, and Jeshua, a grandson 
of the high-priest Jozadak, assisted by ten of the prin- 
cipal elders, made preparations for the journey. They 
were joined by 4,2,360 of the people, whose servants 
amounted to 7337, making together nearly 50,000. 
This, according to the usual mode of computation, is 
the number of the men, exclusive of women and child- 
ren ; and it is so stated in Nehemiah vii. 7. (Compare 
Ezra ii. 64, 65 ; Nehemiah vii. 66, 67.) The whole 
caravan probably amounted at least to 150,000 persons. 
Many, however, had so far lost their Hebrew feehngs 
and predilections, that they preferred remaining in the 
land of their exile, where some of them had obtained 
comfortable settlements, and where most of them had 
been born. Those who wished to return, assembled at 
an appointed place, according to the usual method of 
collecting a caravan, and famished themselves with 
provisions and other things necessary for their journey. 
Their camels, horses, and beasts of burden amounted to 
8136. Zerubbabel, the director of the caravan, received 
the sacred utensils which had been restored, and the 
donations towards the building of the temple from those 
who remained behind ; and he was appointed by Cyrus, 
governor of Judaea. Several months were consumed in 



404 



RETURN OF THE JEWS. 



preparation for the journey. Encumbered as they were 
with women, children, and other baggage, they were 
obliged to travel slowly, and their homeward journey 
occupied four months. (Ezra i. 8 — 11 ; ii. 63 — 67; vi. 
7; vii. 9.) They could not, therefore, have arrived in 
Judsea before the close of the first year of Cyrus ; that 
is, precisely at the termination of the seventieth year of 
the captivity, and the fifty-second after the destruction 
of the temple by Nebuchadnezzar. 

Here it may be right to inquire, whether this return 
was restricted to the remnant of Judah, or was inclu- 
sive also of the ten tribes, or peox3le of Israel. It has 
been conjectured that many Israelites joined the caravan 
of Zerubbabel, and that others subsequently attached 
themselves here and there to a caravan of merchants, 
and proceeded to Palestine. Some have even gone so 
far as to assert, that the ten elders with Zerubbabel 
and Jeshua, were the princes of the twelve tribes, and 
that the 12,542, the excess of the grand total given by 
Ezra, (ii. 64,) above the actual sum of the several num- 
bers mentioned in the preceding verses, (3 — 63,) were 
all Israelites. It is, however, a hazardous practice, to 
travel beyond the inspired record, and substitute human 
conjecture for historic evidence. That the decree of 
Cyrus extended to all the captive Hebrews there can be 
no doubt, and that some individuals of the ten tribes 
availed themselves of the royal licence is not improbable ; 
but that the main body, or any considerable number of 
them, returned with Zerubbabel, is by no means clear. 
The sacred historians, in their very minute and circum- 
stantial account of the return from Babylon, make no 
mention, direct or indirect, of any but the people of 
Judah. There are several passages which strongly in- 
timate that this restoration was exclusively limited to 
the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin. " Then rose up 



RETURN OF THE JEWS. 



405 



the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the 
priests_, and the Levites^ with all them whose Spirit God 
had raised^ to go np to build the honse of the Lord 
which is in Jerusalem." (Ezra i. 5.) "Now these are 
the children of the province that went up out of the 
captivity, of those which had been carried away, ivhom 
Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had carried away 
unto Babylon, and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, 
every one unto his city." (ch. ii. 1.) On the supposition 
that the Assyrian captives were included in the return 
from Babylon, it is difficult to account for the entire 
silence of Ezra and Nehemiah concerning them. They 
describe with great precision almost every incident con- 
nected with that event. The names of the elders and 
heads of families — the number which each family con- 
tained — the sum of the whole — the various preparations 
for the journey — the number of singers, servants, horses, 
and camels, are carefully specified; and it is hardly 
possible that an event of such magnitude and moment 
as the return of ten tribes, should be inadvertently 
omitted from the narration. The probability is, that 
the Israelites, after an absence of more than 200 years, 
had lost all patriotic attachment to the land of their 
fathers, and, therefore, felt no inclination to relinquish 
the advantages they then enjoyed for the prospect of 
an uncertain good in Palestine. We must, therefore, 
look for the fulfilment of those prophecies which foretel 
the return of the whole nation, the re-union of Judah 
and Israel, their pre-eminent piety and permanent national 
prosperity, to the development of events yet future. 

The pious remnant that returned with Zerubbabel were 
no sooner settled amidst their ancient desolations, than 
they assembled at Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of 
Tabernacles, erected the altar e»f burnt-offering amid the 



406 REBUILDING OF THE CITY AND TEMPLE. 

ruins of the temple, and resumed their customary sacrifices. 
Early in the second year after their return, they proceeded 
to lay the foundations of the new temple with great 
solemnity. Joyful as this occasion was to the younger 
colonists, who gave expression to their feelings in shouts 
of exultation, the old people, who had seen the temple of 
Solomon in all its glory, perceiving that the new edifice 
would be greatly inferior to its noble original, wept aloud. 
The voice of mourning was blended with the songs of 
thanksgiving ; " so that the people could not discern the 
noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of 
the people.^-* (Ezra iii. 10 — 13.) It appears, indeed, 
from the record found by Darius, (Ezra vi. 3,) that Cyrus 
had directed a sanctuary to be built of twice the dimen- 
sions of Solomon^s Temple ; but, either the Jews out of 
modesty chose not to avail themselves of the favour of the 
monarch to its full extent, or were fearful lest they should 
excite the envy of the worshipers of Ormuzd, and thereby 
expose themselves to persecution. Accordingly, this second 
erection was neither so large, so magnificent, nor so highly 
ornamented as that of Solomon. (Ezra iii. 12, 13 j Com- 
pare Haggai ii. 1 — 10; Ezra vi. 3 ; 1 Kings vi. 2.) 

The Samaritans, who were a mixed race, consisting 
of Assyrian colonists intermarried with the remnant of 
the ten tribes, still dwelt in the country, and practised 
a kind of mongrel idolatry ; enrolling Jehovah among 
their other deities, and worshiping him under the form 
of the golden calves. These people offered to assist the 
J ews in building the temple ; but their off'er being de- 
clined, they made every possible exertion to thwart and 
oppose the work. Though they could not induce Cyrus 
to revoke his decree, yet, by secret machinations and 
open hostilities, they threw so many obstacles in the 
way that the people were dispirited, and the work pro- 



REBUILDING OF THE CITY AND TEMPLE. 407 

ceeded heavily. (Ezra iv.) This gave rise to an enmity 
between the Jews and the Samaritans, which, strength- 
ened by future provocations, at length terminated all 
friendly intercourse^ (John iv. 9;,) and has continued 
with more or less \irulence to the present day. 

The temple remained in an unfinished state during 
the remainder of the reign of Cyrus, and throughout 
the reigns of Cambyses and Smerdis — a period of about 
fourteen years. When Darius Hystaspes ascended the 
throne, there was nothing to prevent its completion but 
the lethargic indifference of the Jews themselves. A 
general apathy had taken possession of them, and they 
excused themselves for not prosecuting the work by 
saying, "the time is not come.'''' Because sixty-seven 
years only had elapsed since the destruction of the 
temple, and they w^ould reckon a period of seventy 
years, according to the duration of the captivity, they 
concluded that "the set time to favour Zion^^ was not 
yet arrived. Hence while they were erecting splendid 
dwellings for themselves, embelhshiug their apartments 
with tasteful decorations, and dwelling at ease in their 
"ceiled houses,^^ the house of God lay waste. In the 
second year of Darius, the prophets Haggai and Zecha- 
riah were raised up, whose powerful appeals and rebukes 
roused the people from their lethargy, and the vrork was 
once more resumed. (Ezra v. 1 ; Haggai i. 1^ — 15.) 
Upon this, Tatnai, the Persian governor west of the 
Euphrates, demanded to know by what authority the 
building was undertaken. They referred him to the 
decree of Cyrus, and he immediately wrote to Darius to 
have the affair investigated. Darius ordered search to 
be made in the royal archives at Achmetha ; (Ecbatana ;) 
and the important document being found, Darius sent 
a copy of it to Tatnai, together with a letter, command- 
ing him not to obstruct the building, but zealously to 



408 REBUILDING OF THE CITY A.ND TEMPLE. 

forward it, to defray the expenses from the royal 
treasury, and also to supply the priests with such 
animals as were necessary for the sacrifices, with wheat, 
salt, wine, and oil, from day to day, for the Divine ser- 
vice, "that they might offer sacrifices to the God of 
heaven, and pray for the welfare of the king, and of his 
sons/^ He further commanded that whoever obstructed 
the execution of this decree, should be crucified and his 
house demolished ; and he added an imprecation on all 
kings and people who should attempt to destroy the new 
temple. At length, in the sixth year of Darius, on the 
third day of the month Adar, (March,) and about nine- 
teen years after laying the foundation, the sacred edifice 
was completed. It was then dedicated with festive 
solemnities to the worship of Jehovah ; on which occa- 
sion they " offered 100 bullocks, 200 rams, 400 lambs ; 
and for a sin-offering for all Israel, twelve he-goats, ac* 
cording to the number of the tribes of Israel." (Ezra 
iv. V. and vi.) This temple, though inferior in size and 
external magnificence to that reared by Solomon, was 
destined, according to the prediction of Haggai, to excel 
it in glory, inasmuch as it was to be honoured hj the 
presence and personal ministry of the Messiah. 

Artaxerxes, (or Ahasuerus,) who succeeded Darius 
Hystaspes, confirmed to the Jews all the privileges 
granted by his predecessors. He made Mordecai, the 
Jew, his prime minister, and Esther, a Jewess, his queen, 
and in the seventh year of his reign, appointed Ezra, a 
descendant of the family of Aaron, governor of Jeru- 
salem. He also issued a new proclamation, inviting all 
the Hebrews in his dominion to return to their native 
land; and, to induce the priests and Levites to settle a*^ 
Jerusalem, he ordained that all who were employed in 
the service of the temple should be exempted from 
tribute. Ezra was armed with full powers to rectify all 
abuses in church and state, to reform the institutions of 



REBUILDING OF THE CITY AND TEMPLE. 409 

religion, to enforce the observance of the law, and to 
punish the refractory with fines, imprisonment, banish- 
ment, or death. Thus commissioned, he proceeded with 
a caravan of sixteen houses, amounting probably to about 
6000 persons, to join his brethren in Palestine. After a 
journey of three months and a half, they arrived at Jeru- 
salem ; the vessels and treasures that had been sent from 
Babylon were deposited in the temple ; the newly returned 
Hebrews offered a solemn sacrifice of thanksgiving to the 
God of their fathers ; and the Persian governors west of 
the Euphrates accredited Ezra's commission, and readily 
assisted him in prosecuting its objects. 

Under the wise and pious administration of Ezra, and 
of his successor Nehemiah, a great reformation was effected 
in morals and religion, the languid commonwealth was 
invigorated, and, notwithstanding the malicious opposition 
of the Samaritans, the walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt, the 
men working with an implement in one hand, and a wea- 
pon of war in the other ; after which the city itself gra- 
dually rose to magnitude and affluence. 

The Jews were now living under their own laws and 
religion ; the affairs of both church and state assumed a 
more settled and encouraging aspect ; and from this time, 
they enjoyed, during a period of nearly 300 years, almost 
uninterrupted prosperity — governed by their high-priests, 
although subject to the kings of Persia, until the overthrow 
of that empire by Alexander. 

This great scourge of the world, the son and successor 
of Philip, king of Macedon, having vanquished the Persian 
army at Issus, in the narrow passes leading from Syria to 
Cilicia, at length came into the neighbourhood of Judsea, 
with slaughter,fire, and victory in his train. Damascus, 
the capital of Syria, vvas taken; Sidon had surrendered! 
Tyre was laid in ashes ; and all the inhabitants of Gaza 
were either put to death, or sold for slaves. This extraor- 

3 G 



410 ALEXANDER'S VISIT TO JERUSALEM. 

dinary conqueror visited Jerusalem with the intention of 
consigning it to a similar fate ; but was strangely diverted 
from his purpose, and induced to show the Jews great 
favour. Josephus has given an account of this transaction 
too singular and interesting to be omitted. 

He says, that when Alexander was besieging Tyre, 
he sent a letter to Jaddua, the Jewish high-priest, 
• to send him some auxiliaries, and to supply his army 
with provisions; and that what presents he formerly 
sent to Darius, he would now send to him, and choose 
the friendship of the Macedonians, and that he should 
never repent of so doing.' But the high-priest re- 
turned for answer, that ^he had given his oath to 
Darius not to bear arms against him, and he would 
not break it while Darius was in the land of the 
living.' On receiving this answer, Alexander, unused 
to remonstrance, was greatly enraged; and threatened, 
that as soon as he could leave Tyre, which was near 
falling into his hands, he would visit the high-priest 
in such a manner, as should teach all men, through 
him, to whom they "were to keep their oaths. The 
siege of that city being shortly after brought to a 
successful termination, Alexander set out on his march 
for Jerusalem, designing to make an example of the 
priest and the city which had dared to disobey his 
commands. In this distress, Jaddua, who, as well as 
high-priest, was governor of the Jews under the 
Persian king, assembled the people, and ordered them 
to join with him in making sacrifices and supplica- 
tions to the Almighty to protect them from the immi- 
nent danger which threatened them. After these 
acts of devotion, it pleased God to direct Jaddua, in 
a vision of the night, to go out and meet the con- 
queror in his pontifical robes, with the priests in 
their proner vestments, an'^1 rll the people in white 



ALEXANDER'S VISIT TO JERUSALEM. 



411 



garments; not doubting the deliverance which should 
be effected for them. Jaddua, accordingly, ha\dng 
the next day got ready the sacred procession as in- 
structed; awaited the approach of Alexander; and 
when he understood that he was not far from the 
city, he went out to meet him to a place called Sapha, an 
eminence without Jerusalem, which commanded a prospect 
cf the whole country, to which place the procession ex- 
tended the whole way from Jerusalem. As soon as Alex- 
ander saw this dazzling spectacle — the white garments of 
the multitude shining in the sun, the priests clothed in 
fine linen, and the pontiff in purple and scarlet, with his 
mitre on his head, having the golden plate on which the 
name of God was engraved—he was struck with awe, 
adored that Name, ancl saluted the high-priest. The Jews 
at the same time surrounded Alexander, and saluted him. 
The kings and others in the train of Alexander were so 
astonished at this act, and the sudden, and to them inex- 
plicable alteration of his purpose, that they supposed him 
disordered in his mind. Parmenio alone, his favourite 
general, ventured to go up to him, and to ask, ^ How it 
came to pass, that, when all others adored him, he should 
adore the high-priest of the Jews?' To which Alexander 
leplied, did not adore him, but that God who has 
nonoured him with his high-priesthood ; for I saw this 
very person in a dream, in this very habit, when I was at 
Dios, in Macedonia, who, when I was considering with 
myself how I might obtain the dominion of Asia, exhorted 
me to make no delay, but boldly pass over the sea thither, 
for that he would conduct my army, and give me the do- 
minion over the Persians : whence it is, that having seen 
no other in that habit, and now seeing this person in it, 
and remembering that vision, and the exhortation which I 
had in my dream, I believe that I bring this army under 
the Divine conduct, and shall therewith conquer Darius, 



412 Alexander's visit to Jerusalem. 

And destroy the power of the Persians, and that all things 
will succeed according to my own mind/ After he had 
thus explained his conduct on this extraordinary occasion, 
he gave his right hand to the high-priest, and entered Je- 
rusalem with him in a friendly manner ; where he offered 
sacrifices to God in the temple, according to the du'ections 
of the high-priest, who afterwards showed him the pro- 
phecies of Daniel, which predicted the overthrow of the 
Persian empire by a Grecian king ; when, satisfied that he 
was the person meant, he departed in assurance of success 
in his future wars ; having granted the Jews the free en- 
joyment of their laws and religion, and exempted them 
every seventh year from paying any tribute, as in that year 
they neither sowed nor reaped.* 

* For an able defence of the credibility of this account, see Exa- 
men Critique des Historiens d' Alexander , par M. de Sante-Croisr. i 
and Jahu's Hist- of the Hebrew CommonweaUh, p. 80. 



- biiiffi crwo ^loi! 



CHAPTER IV. 

Persecutions by Antiochus Epiphanes — The War of Independence — 
Subjugation of Judsea by the Romans — Invasion by the Parthians— 
Antigonus — Defeat of Antigonus, and Accession of Herod to the 
Throne of Judsea. 



At the deatli of Alexander, Judsea, owing to its inter- 
mediate position, was exposed to the violent collisions 
which took place among the crumbling ruins of his vast 
but ephemeral empire. On the partition of his domi- 
nions amongst his generals, Jei ealem, with the whole 
of Syria and Palestine, was allotted to Laomedon, one 
of Alexander's officers; from whom, however, those 
districts were wrested shortly after by Ptolemy Lagus, 
king of Egypt. In the frequent wars which followed 
between the kings of Syria and those of Egypt, called 
by Daniel the kings of the north and south, Judsea 
belonged sometimes to the one and sometimes to the 
other ; the passive victim of the oscillations of fortune. 
This unsettled and turbulent period proved highly 
favourable to disorder and corruption ; crime and pillage 
were everywhere rampant ; law and order were set at 
defiance ; the high-priesthood was openly sold to the 
highest bidder ; and numbers of the Jews deserted their 
religion for the idolatries of the Greeks. Having been 
so long under the dominion of Grecian monarchs, they 
had now become familiar with the customs, literature 



414 PERSECUTIONS BY ANTIOCHUS EPIPHANES. 

and sciences of Greece^ and had acquired a taste for 
them. Some even began to look on the idolatrous 
mythology of the Greeks with a favourable eye, and 
endeavoured to obliterate their Jewish peculiarities. 

Soon after Antiochus Epiphanes ascended the throne 
of Syria, vigorous efforts were made to bring over the 
Jewish people altogether to the Grecian manners and 
religion. The author of this project was Jesus, a 
brother of the high-priest Onias III. He assumed the 
Greek name Jason, and basely supplanted his brother 
in the high-priesthood, which he purchased of the king 
for 3600 talents. He also offered 150 talents for the 
right of establishing a Greek gymnasium at Jerusalem, 
and the power of conferring upon the Jews the citizen- 
ship of Antioch. The design of these innovations was 
to undermine the ancient religion of his country, and 
graft paganism on its ruins. For three years he 
laboured hard to destroy the Jewish constitution, and 
assimilate his countrymen to the habits and usages of 
the Greeks. 

In the year 172 b.c, he commissioned his younger 
brother Onias, who had adopted the Greek name of 
Menelaus, to carry the tribute to Antioch, and trans- 
act other business with the king. But Menelaus, 
instead of executing his commission, took this oppor- 
tunity to supplant his brother ; and, by promising the 
king 300 talents more than the tribute paid by Jason, 
obtained a nomination to the high-priesthood. This 
traitor, having solemnly abjured the religion of his 
fathers, and engaged to abolish the Mosaic and esta- 
blish the Grecian religion in its stead, was furnished 
by the king with a force sufficient to expel Jason 
from the country. Menelaus plundered the temple, 
in order to meet his engagements with the king. 
This led to a tumult in which Lysimachus, the agent 



PERSECUTIONS BY ANTIOCHUS EPIPHANES. 415 

of Menelans, ws.s put to death, "by the eDraged popu- 
lace in the treasury of the temple. To the venality 
and utter want of principle displayed by these usurpers 
of the priesthood^ may he ascribed most of the cala- 
mities inflicted upon the Jews by Antiochus Epiphanes 
While that prince was engaged in the siege of Alex- 
andria, a report was spread abroad in Palestine that he 
was dead. Upon tliis, Jason, with 1000 Ammonites, 
made an attack upon Jerusalem, took possession of the 
city, and mercilessly slaughtered the citizens who had 
opposed him; while Menelaus seciu^ed himself in the 
castle of Zion. Antiochus hearing of this, and enraged 
at the Jews for rejoicing at the false report of his death, 
hastened to Jerusalem, took it by force, plundered the 
city, slew 80,000 persons, men, women, and children^ 
took 40,000 prisoners, and sold as many into slavery. 
As if this were not enough, conducted by the traitor 
Menelaus, he entered the sanctuary, uttering blasphemy 
against God. He plundered the temple of all its gold 
and silver furnitui'e, — the golden altar, the candlestick, 
the table, the pouring vessels, the vials, the censers, 
and all the ornaments ; and that he might leave nothing 
behind, he searched the subterranean vaults, and in this 
m_anne.r collected and caiTied away 1800 talents of gold- 
He then sacrificed swine upon the altar, and sprinkled 
the water in which part of the flesh had been boiled 
over the floor of the temple; thus pouring contempt 
on the Jewish rites, and bidding defiance to the God 
of heaven. Just two years after, (167 B.C.,) he sent 
Apollonius into Judsea with an araiy of 22,000 men, 
and commanded liim to kill all the Jews who were of 
full age, and to sell the women and young men for 
slaves. (2 Mac. v. 24, 25.) ,r[^ mo-::: 

These orders were too punctually executed. On the 
first Sabbath after his arrival, he sent out his soldiers 



416 PERSECUTIONS BY ANTIOCHUS EPIPHANES. 

with orders to cut down all the able-bodied men whom 
they met^ and to capture the women and children. 
Great multitudes were slain ; their houses were set on 
fire or pulled down; and the city walls demolished. 
The castle was strengthened and garrisoned with troops ; 
and^ as it commanded the temple^ the Jews were unable 
to attend public worship. The sanctuary was defiled 
with blood ; the miserable inhabitants of the city fled ; 
and the sacrifices ceased, after having been offered, 
without interruption, during 369 years since the return 
from Babylon. It was on this occasion that Judas 
Maccabseus retired into the wilderness with his father 
and his brethren. (2 Mac. v. 29.) 

These misfortunes were but preludes of what they were 
to suffer; for Antiochus, apprehending that the Jews 
would never be constant in their fidelity to him, unless he 
compelled them to change their religion and conform to 
that of the Greeks, issued an edict, forbidding their sacri- 
fices, their festivals, the temple-servicCj and the observance 
of the Sabbath, and commanding them to worship idols, 
and to acknowledge no religion but that of the king. The 
statue of Jupiter Olympus was set up on the altar, and a 
smaller altar was erected upon it to be used in sacrificing 
to the heathen gods ; thus " the abomination that maketh 
desolate^'' was seen in the temple of God. (Dan. xi. 31.) 
Circumcision, the keeping of the Sabbath, and every other 
observance of the law, were now made capital off'ences. All 
the copies of the sacred books that could be found were 
taken away, defaced, torn in pieces, or burnt. Groves 
were planted, idolatrous altars built in every city, and the 
people were required to offer sacrifices to the heathen gods, 
and to eat swine^s flesh every month on the birth-day of 
the king ; and, at the feast of Bacchus, they were com- 
manded to be crowned with ivy, and walk in procession. 
All who refused to obey these orders were put to death 



THE WAR OF INDSPENDENCE,.3gjj2,j 417 

without mercy. Two womenj with their infant children, 
whom they had circumcised with their own hands, were 
thrown from the battlements on the south side of the tem- 
ple into the awful abyss below. Officers vv'ere sent into all 
the towns, attended by bands of soldiers, to compel obedi- 
ence to the royal edict; and never before had the Jews 
been subjected to so cruel a persecution. At Antioch, the 
venerable scribe Eleazar, and the pious mother with her 
seven sons, were put to death with the most cruel tortures. 
(2 Mac. vi. and vii.) O^a another occasion about 1000 
men, who had concealed themselves in a cave not far from 
Jerusalem, were massacred on the Sabbath without offering 
the least resistance. 

These enormities at length roused the slumbering spirit 
of the nation, and fanned the smouldering embers of inde- 
pendence into the flame of rebelhon. Mattathias * and his 
sons had fled to the mountains ; there they were joined by 
those Jews who still held their insulted religion in reve- 
rence. This heroic man, the father of five sons equally 
eminent for piety and resolution, encouraged the people, 
by his example and exhortations, to " stand up for the law,'^ 
and shake off the yoke of their oppressors ; and, having 
collected a valiant band of about 6000 men, undertook to 
- free Judsea from the despotism of Syria, and restore the 
worship of the God of Israel. Putting himself at 
the head of his adherents, Mattathias emerged from 
his concealment — went through the Jewish cities — 
demolished the idolatrous altars — circumcised the 
children — slew" the Syrian officers and the apostate 
Jews — recovered from the Syrians the copies of the 
law which had not yet been destroyed — and laid 

* Mattathias was surnamed Asmon, whence was derived the appella- 
tion Asmonseans, borne by the line of princes descended from him, Who 
80 valiantly conducted and brought to a successful issue the Jewish war 
of Independence,,! y^v bUV/l/io uaoiiT ^-i: 

3 H 



■ilS THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE. 

the foundation of a still more organized and effective 
revolution ; but being very old wben he entered upon 
this arduous enterprise, he did not live to see its 
completion. At his death (166 b. c.) he appointed 
Jadas, his third and bravest son^ military leader ; and 
associated with him Simon^ his second and more pru- 
dent son, as a counsellor. Judas, on account of his 
heroic exploits and high daring, received the surname 
of Maccabseus 03p^ m«k<2bi the Hammerer.) He 
is, however, most generally supposed to have derived 
this name from a cabalistic word, formed of M. C. 
B. I. the initial letters of the Hebrew text, Mi Qha- 
molir ^aelim Jehovah, i. e. who among the gods is like 
unto thee, Jehovah? (Exod. xv. 11:) which letters 
might have been displayed on his sacred standard, 
as the letters S. P. Q. H. {Senatus Vopulus Que Ho- 
manus) were on the Uonian ensigns.* 

After defeating the Syrians in several successive 
hard-fought battles, and taking possession of the most 
important fortresses, he drove them out of the country. 
He then proceeded to repair and purify the temple, 
which was in a dilapidated and desolate condition. 
The gates and the priests^ apartments had been pulled 
down, and the once-frequented courts were deserted 
and grass-grown. Judas purified the sacred enclosure 
by removing every vestige of heathenism. The altar, 
having been defiled by idolatry, was taken away, and 
a new one erected; new utensils were also provided 
for the sacred service ; the sacrifices were resumed ; 
and the temple restored to the pure worship of 
Jehovah, after exactly three years^ defilement by the 
Gentile idolatries. A sacred festival was held for 
eight days, with great rejoicings; and it was resolved 

* Dr. Hales's Analysis of Chronology, vol. i. p. 599- 



THE WAR OF IXDEPENDEXCE. 



419 



to celebrate an annual fea?t in commemoration of tliis 
event. 

The arms of Judas, and of liis brother Simon, were 
still successful, whether employed to repress the outrages 
and incursions of the Idumaeans, the Balanites, and 
Ammonites, or to punisli the Syro-Phoenicians^ and the 
nations eastward of the Jordan, who confederated to 
destroy the Jevvs of Galilee and Gilead. Judas Macca- 
bgsus was slain in battle, and his brother Jonathan 
succeeded him in the government. He was also made 
high-priest, and from that time the Asmon?san princes 
united the princedom and the pontifical dignity in their 
own persons. They were so successful, by their valour 
and address, that, in a few years, they not only threw off 
the Syrian yoke, and recovered the independence of their 
country, but also regained almost all the possessions of 
the twelve tribes, destroyed the celebrated Samaritan 
temple on "Jount Gerizim, which had been dedicated to 
Jupiter Xenios,-'^ subdued the Idumseans and Iturteans, 
m.ade themselves respected by all the neighbouring 
nations, and secured the favour and friendship of the 
Roman senate. In the year 143 b. c, Demetrius Nicator, 
the reigning king of Syria, relinquished all future claims 
on Judgea for tribute, publicly acknowledged Simon as 
Piince and High-priest of the Jews, and solicited his 
friendship. Thus, after a war of quarter of a century, 
carried on with several successive kings of Syria, this 
illustrious family succeeded in subduing their tyrannical 
oppressors, and established the independence of Judaea. 
A general assembly was held at Jerusalem, (141 b. c.,) 
in which the people, out of gratitude to the house of 

* Jupiter Xenios, {the protector of straJigers,^ so called because the 
Samaritans, in their letter to Antiochus, had declared that they -svere 
not Jews but strangers, and that they were willing to rencuncfs 
Judaism and adopt the polytheism of the Greeks. 



420 SUBJUGATION OF JUBMA BY THE ROMANS. 



Mattathias, made botli the Regency and the High -priest 
hood hereditary in the family of Siaion. This decree of 
the assembly was engraved on plates of copper, and fixed 
to a monument erected in the temple. (1 Mac. xiv. 25 
— 49. Simon was treacherously assassinated in the 
castle of Jericho by his own son-in-law, Ptolemy, who 
aimed at the sovereignty. His ambitious design was^ 
however, defeated by the accession of Hyrcanus. At bia 
death, Hyrcanus left the princedom to his wife; but 
Aristobulusj his eldest son, soon usurped the government, 
and, as his mother refused to relinquish her claim, he 
threw her into prison, where she died of starvation. 

He also imprisoned his three younger brothers; and 
having by these violent measures seated himself in the 
government, he assumed the diadem and the regal title, 
and was proclaimed King of the Jews; thus uniting the 
supreme Sovereignty with the Priestliood — an event which 
had been predicted by Zechariah 400 years before. (Zech. 
vi. 9 — 15.) This dignity was enjoyed by his successors 
forty-two years, when, a dispute having arisen between 
Hyrcanus II. and his brother Aristobulus, the sons oi 
Alexander Jaddsens, relative to the succession of the 
crown, both parties applied to the Homans to decide 
the quarrel. Scanrus, the Roman general, suffered 
himself to be bribed by Aristobulus, and placed him 
on the throne. Not long after, Pompey came to 
Damascus, and ordered the rival brothers to appe 
before him. Each of them brought witnesses to att 
his claim, while others protested against them bo 
and accused them of having violated the national constitu- 
tion, and perpetrated other enormities. Pompey deferred 
giving a final decision, and xlristobulus retired in high 
dudgeon, to make further preparations for war. Pompey 
considered this as a favourable opportunity for reducing 
Palestine under the power of the Romans. Accordingly 



ANTIGUNUS. 



421 



he marched his army into Judcea; Aristobuius was taken 
prisoner, but his party took refuge in the temple, and de- 
fended themselves with great bravery for three months. 
At lengta a breach was made, and the temple taken. 
Twelve thousand Jews v,xre put to the sword, iu eluding 
many priests : for the calamities of the siege had not been 
allowed to interrupt the daily service, and the appointed 
rites were going on as though nothing had happened, evec 
at the moment when the murderous Romans were rushing 
into the temple ; so that the priests were slain i.i the very 
act of burning incense and presenting offerings to Jehovah, 
and their blood was mingled with the sacrifices. Pompey 
created Hp'canus High -priest axd Prixce of the Jews, 
but would not allow him to take the title of king. 

By this event, Judaea was reduced tothe condition of a 
province of the Roman em.pire, in the year 63 B.C. Julius 
Csesar having defeated Pompey, confii-med Hyrcanus in, the 
mesthood, but changed the form of the civil government 
/rem a monarchy to an oligarchical republic. (54? B.C.) 
Judeea was divided into live cantons or provinces ; each of 
which had an executive council appointed for its govern- 
ment. Thus was established the vassal Aristocracy of the 
Jews, which lasted about ten years. 

On Csesar^s return from his expedition in Egypt, (44 b.c.) 
in which the troops sent by Hyrcanus had been of eminent 
serWce to him, he dissolved the aristocracy, reinstated 
Hyrcanus in all his former dignity, and allowed him to re- 
sume his former title of Peince or the Jews. Antipater 
was made Procurator of Judaea, his eldest son, Phasael, 
was appointed governor of Jerusalem, and his next son^ 
Herod, governor of Galilee. Shortly after, Antigonus, son 
of the late king, Aristobuius II., invaded thecountry, with 
a view to obtain his father^'s throne. In this attempt, he 
was assisted by his relative the prince of Chalcis, by the 
king of Tyre, and also by the Parthians, then risinji; into a 



422 



DEFEAT Oy ANTIGONUS, ETC. 



formidable power, and contending with the Romans for the 
empire of the East. Hyrcanus and Phasael were made 
prisoners by this people, bm Herod contrived to escape, 
and fled to Rome. His cause w^as warmly espoused by 
Mark Antony, who, with the concurrence of Octavius and 
the Roman senate, made him sole ruler of Judsea, with the 
title of King: (37 b. c :) which title was afterwards con- 
firmed by Augustus. When Herod arrived in Judsea, the 
Parthians having placed Antigonus on the throne, had 
evacuated Syria, and retired across the Euphrates. The 
crown of Palestine was now sharply contested betw^een 
Herod and Antigonus ; and, for the space of three years, this 
unhappy country became once more the theatre of a san- 
guinary intestine war. The miseries attending it were con- 
siderably aggravated by the venality and duplicity of some 
of the Roman generals who were sent to assist Herod ; by 
the fury which they and their soldiers vented against the 
Jews; and by the fierce and unequal conflicts which 
Herod had to maintain with the banditti that infested the 
mountainous districts of G-alilee, who were so numerous 
that they formed a regular army, and engaged in pitched 
battles, plundering and ravaging the neighbouring 
country. While the contest for the throne was still 
undecided, Herod married Mariamne, the daughter of 
Alexander, the son of king Aristobulus, by Alexandra, 
the daughter of Hyrcanus II. By this opportune alliance 
with the Asmonsean family, so highly esteemed by the 
Jews as the author3 of their former independence, Herod 
hoped to secure their good-will and confidence. After 
several campaigns, attended with various success on both 
sides, Herod, assisted by the Syrian and Roman army, 
attacked Antigonus at Jerusalem. The Roman troops 
amounted to eleven legions, besides the Syrian auxiliaries, 
and 6000 cavalry. But notwithstanding all the exertions 
of so numerous an army, the city was not taken till the 



DEFEAT or ANTIGONQS, ETC. 



423 



following year. (34 b. c.) So enraged were the Romans 
by the obstinate defence of the city, and so furious were 
the Jews of Herod's party against those of Antigonus, 
that when all resistance had ceased^ the besiegers followed 
up their victory by universal pillage^ and an indiscriminate 
and exterminating massacre ; so that Herod repeatedly 
asked Sosius, the Roman general, vv'hether he intended to 
leave him ^king of a desert?' and, in order to stay the 
massacre, and save the city from total destruction, was 
compelled to pay him a large sum of money. Antigonus 
was sent to Antioch, and there beheaded by order of 
Antony ; with whom ended the line of Asmonsean priests 
and princes, after they had held the government, inde- 
pendently, and under the 'Homans, upwards of a century. 



CHAPTER V. 



J Reign of Herod the Great — Archelaus — Herod Antipas — Heiocl 
Philip — King Agrippa — Agrippa the Tetrarch — Pontius Pilate — Anto- 

tiius Felix — Porcius Festus — Alhinus — Gessius Florus. 
f 



The civil war, ha^dng terminated in the destruction of 
the Asmoniean dynasty and the ascension of Herod to 

, the throne, placed Judaea under a cruel and sanguinary 
despotism. The new king, who had previously been 
the object of great dislike to the nation, rendered him- 

^ self every day more detestable and more detested by 
his heartless cruelties. Magnificent in his notions of 
royalty; endowed with great talents and enterprise; 

p successful in his schemes of ambition, and possessing a 
plausible and specious exterior, he acquired the surname 
of. the C-^-eat; but his deep duplicity — his restless jealousy 
his \,ant of all natural afi'ection — his cold-blooded, 
revolting, murderous selfishness — his slavery to furious 
passions — his readiness to sacrifice every claim, and 
every obligation, to his ideas of state-policy and his love 
of power — have made his name a by-word for base, 
reckless, and unbridled despotism; and mark him out in 
the page of history, as worthy to be ranked among the 
Caligulas and Neros of Rome. 

Herod began his reign by seizing on the treasures of 
the Avealthy, in order to furnish himself with the means 
of pui'chasing the future services of Antony, and his 
other friends. He also put to death all the members of the 



HEROD THE GREAT. 425 

Sanhedrim, or Great Council, excepting Pollio and Sameas, 
who were his partisans. Ananel, a Babylonish Jew, with- 
out influence to render him formidable to a tyrant, was 
appointed high-priest ; and Hyrcanus, who, in consequence 
of his having been maimed, could no longer claim that 
office, was insidiously inveigled to J erusalem from the east, 
in order that no danger might arise from that quarter to 
the usurped throne, and that the aged ex-king and priest 
might be within the immediate reach of the fangs of the 
royal monster. At the earnest entreaty of Mariamne, and 
by the agency of her mother Alexandra, Ananel was de- 
posed from the priesthood ; and Aristobulus, Mariamne's 
brother, a youth seventeen years of age, was placed in his 
stead. This appointment gratified the people, in conse- 
quence of their regard for the Asmon^an family ; but 
Herod, who could not endure even the shadow of a rival, 
was soon stung with envy and jealousy at the popularity of 
the youthful high-priest, and basely contrived that he 
should be drowned while bathing, which was effected by 
the royal servants holding him under water, as if in sport; 
Herod, with the most consummate hypocrisy, pretended 
great sorrow for the event, and made for his murdered 
broth er-in«-law a magnificent funeral. Alexandra persuaded 
Cleopatra, the celebrated queen of Egypt, to use her in- 
fluence with Antony to punish the king ; but bribery 
secured Antonyms connivance, and Herod went on to fill up 
the measure of his iniquities. 

" To detail the murders which were perpetrated by this 
hateful and capricious tyrant, would fill a volume ; and de- 
generate must have been that people who could tolerate 
such a king. His uncle Joseph was the next victim, in 
consequence of his having communicated to Mariamne the 
secret orders left by Herod when he set out to go to An- 
tony; Herod having commanded that in case Antony should 
condemn him for the murder of Aristobulus, J oseph should 

S I 



426 HEROD THE GREAT. 

have Mariamne put to death_, to prevent lier falling into 
the power of the licentious triumvii*. Herod^ putting 
a jealous construction on the fact of Joseph^ s revealing 
to Mariamne the secret entrusted to him^ flew upon her 
in a fit of rage with a drawn sword ; but the sudden 
return of his love towards her, which was second only to 
his despotic pride and ambition, saved her life. Joseph, 
however, was executed, and Alexandra was imprisoned. 

The nations of the world, and its rulers, appear, at 
this period, almost to have vied with each other, in pre- 
senting examples of perfidy, licentiousness, and inhu- 
manity ; and Judsea, and the whole Roman empire, were 
alike prepared by their deep and extensive demoraliza- 
tion, for the approach of that illustrious light, which was 
to enlighten the Gentiles, and to be the glory of Israel. 

The rapacious and wicked Cleopatra, not content with 
the numerous countries she had received from the effe- 
minate and voluptuous Antony, longed for the posses- 
sion of Judaea ; and actually obtained from the triumvir 
the gift of the most fruitful parts of the country, the 
whole being still a dependency of Kome. Herod was 
compelled to redeem the alienated territory by an 
annual tribute. Cleopatra, who had repeatedly laboured 
to number Herod among the victims whose lives she 
sacrificed to her ambition, now paid him a visit at Jeru- 
salem, in order, if possible, to entangle him in her snares. 
Herod was disgusted at the attempt, and would have found 
occasion of putting her to death, but for the dread of 
Antony ; which induced him to seek to avert her malice 
and revenge, by making her large presents, and treating 
her with every external mark of respect. After Antony 
had lost the battle of Actium, Herod advised him to put 
Cleopatra to death ; and, by seizing on her treasures, to 
raise a new army for the establishment of his power : but as 
Antony did not follow his advice, Herod went over to the 
conqii«»'^>' Opfjiviiis, subsequently the Emperor Augustus. 



HEROD THE GEE^T. 



427 



The mild and venerable Hyrcanus^ who had once saved 
Herod^s life, now feeling insecure against his caprice and 
jealousy, endeavoured to escape from Jerusalem : but be 
was seized and put to death, lest he should attenapt to raise 
a party, and regain the crown. Before Herod left Judsea 
to proceed to Octavius, Mariamne and Alexandra vrere shut 
up in the castle of Alexandrium ; and the king left orders 
that, if he should lose his life previously to his return, they 
should both be put to death. It v;*a3 no wonder that these 
alarming demonstrations of Herod^s willingness to sacrifice 
everything to his ambition, his jealousy, and his dread of 
the AsmonEeans resuming his throne, should effectually 
alienate from him the afiections of his vdh. Finding that 
she was acquainted ^^ith the savage manner in which he 
intended to exhibit hia capricious attachment to her, Herod 
rashly charged her with infidelity. The beautiful and vir- 
tuous Mariamne was condemned, and publicly executed; 
and her mother Alexandra soon shared a similar fate. 

Tlie sanguinary tyi'ant, agonized with remorse, and 
with torturing emotions of love for his mnrdered wife, 
became more violent and ferocious than ever ; and did 
not hesitate to sacrifice to his suspicions his most con- 
fidential friends. By the destruction of the sons of 
Babas, shortly after, the only sum-iving branches of the 
AsmonEean family were cut off. In the mean time, 
Judsea was repeatedly visited with calamities, which, in 
other timesj might have proved salutary warnings to a 
wicked king and an ungodly nation. In the fifth year 
of this reign, an earthquake had destroyed several 
thousand individuals. Soon after the death of Mari- 
amne, a raging pestilence swept away multitudes. 
Three years aftei'wards, a famine, followed by another 
pestilence, desolated the country; and Herod gained a 
temporary popularity, by endeavouring to alle-viate the 
distresses of his subjects at his own expense. 



428 



HEROD THE GREAT. 



About this time, lie introduced many tilings tliat 
were totally at variance with the laws, customs, and 
religion of the Jews. He erected a P^oman amphi- 
theatre at Jerusalem, in which were exhibited wrestling 
matches, combats between men and wild beasts, and 
other heathen practices. Many of the Jews, degenerate 
as the nation had become, were much disgusted with 
these innovations ; and Herod was near being assassi- 
nated by means of a conspiracy of the most desperate. 
The Pagan temples which he built in several places, as 
a compliment to his Roman constituents, raised the 
dissatisfaction of the people to the highest pitch ; and 
open commotion was only prevented by the prohibition 
of public assemblies, by a system of espionage, and by 
a series of public executions and secret murders. 

This infidel king, who had already gratified his taste 
for architecture by erecting idolatrous temples, now 
resolved to make an effort to propitiate the J ews by re- 
building the temple at Jerusalem, on a more extensive 
and magnificent plan than that of the existing edifice. 
The Jews, however, having no confidence in Herod, 
would not consent to the pulling down of the old 
building till they saw all the materials collected for the 
new one. The main part of the edifice was finished in 
nine years and a half; but Herod and his successors 
were continually adding to the outworks and ornaments ; 
so that the whole building was not completed till forty- 
six years from the commencement. (John ii. 20.) 

Herod now sought popularity by procuring certain 
privileges from the Eoman government for the foreign 
J ews ; but he ceased not to make himself detested on 
account of his monstrous cruelties. His two sons, Alex- 
ander and Aristobulus, had been heard to utter some 
remarks respecting the execution of their mother, which 
had been told to Herod, with exaggerations, by his sister 



HEROB THE GREAT. 



429 



Salome_, and by Antipater^ the son of liis former wife 
Doris. The young princes were only saved^ for this time^ 
by the verdict of the Emperor Augustus ; who^ having ex- 
amined the charge^ acquitted them of guilt. Continual 
disquietudes arose inllerod^s family from the same cause, 
for about five years ; when this unnatural father suffered 
his mind to be so incensed against his children^ that he 
procured their trial and condemnation ; and three years 
before the Christian era, they were put to death by 
strangling, though they could be convicted of no greater 
crime than that of purposing to save their lives by flight. 

The closing scenes of Herod^s reign were in harmony 
with ail that had preceded, and exhibited little else than 
a tissue of crimes and miseries. An unsuccessful plot 
was laid by his son Antipater and his brother Pheroras, 
to carry him off by poison. Pheroras, soon after, died ; 
and Antipater was imprisoned. Several Pharisees, for 
having encouraged Pheroras to aspire to the crown, were 
put to death. 

In the midst of these distractions in the family of 
Herod, and within a year of the termination of his reign, 
the Lord Jesus Christ was born at Bethlehem. The 
general expectation which prevailed at this time among 
the Jews, of the advent of the Messiah, though their 
views respecting him were so erroneous, accounts for the 
anxiety that was felt at Jerusalem on the arrival of the 
Magi ; and for the agitation of Herod, when he knew of 
their inquiry, ^ Where is he that is born King of the 
Jews?' Conscious that he was not the rightful heir to 
the Asmonsean crown, and that his throne had only stood 
by the artificial support given to it by the Romans, he 
dreaded a rival to himself or to his dynasty ; and with 
that murderous jealousy that was so characteristic of him, 
he commanded the massacre of all the male infants of 
Bethlehem who had been born within a certain time of 



4.30 



HEROD THE GEEAT. 



the appearing of the miraculous star. So remarkable a 
prodigy did not overawe him, though he seems to have 
believed in the fact of its appearance ; nor did he pause 
to consider the testimony which it gave to the truth. 
Such is the blinding, hardening nature of sin ! 

But the curtain was now about to fall over the tra- 
gedies of this tyrannic and cruel reign. Herod was 
seized with a violent and loathsome disease, which left 
no prospect of recovery. While suffering under its rapid 
progress, he ordered the execution, by burning and 
otherwise, of forty Jews ; who, having religious objections 
to the golden eagle which Herod had placed over one of 
the gates of the temple, tore it down. The noble de- 
claration of these men to the king himself, that they 
were ^ ready to suffer anything for the sake of their re- 
ligion/ shows that there were still, among the Jews, those 
who firmly cleaved to the laws and the spmt of their 
best forefathers. 

■ Though Herod himself was now aware that there was 
no hope of his recovery, his disposition remained the 
same. The agonies of his conscience ; the torture occa- 
sioned by his disease; the distractions of his family; 
and his consciousness of being detested by the Jews, 
seemed only to exasperate the inveterate inhumanity 
and cruelty of his temper. He commanded that, imme- 
diately after he had breathed his last, all the principal 
men of the Jewish nation should be massacred, in order 
that there might be mourning at his death! Rendered 
desperate by pain of body and anguish of mind, the 
wretched man attempted to commit suicide; but was 
prevented. He now ordered the execution of his son 
Antipater; and, five days afterwards, expired.^^* 

Herod, at his death, divided his kingdom by will 

* Lectures on the Polity and History of the Hebrews, by Professor 
Hoppus, pp. 158 — 166. 



ARCHELAUS— HEROD ANTIPAS. 



431 



among tliree of Ms sons, wlio had been so fortunate 
as to escape being nini'dered by the bands of their 
father: namely^ Archelans^ Herod x\ntipas_, and Herod 
Philip. To x4.rchelans he assigned Judjea, Samaria, 
and IdnniEca, with th.e title of king ; to Herod Antipas 
he gave Galilee and Peraea^ T^^ith the title of tetrarch; 
and to Philip^ Batantea, Gaidonitis, Trachonitis. and 
Paneas.* xlngnstns ratified the will of Herod, as 
respected the division of his kingdom, but refused to 
Archelaus the royal title, gi™g him instead, that 
of Ethnai'ch, or chief of the nation. His reign was 
turbulant and tyrannical, and caused much trouble 
to the PvOmans, in consequence of the repeated insur- 
rections which his ai'biti'aiy conduct occasioned. In 
tlie tenth year of his reign (1.2 a. c.,) complaints were 
made against him for mal-administration : he was 
accused before Augustus, deposed, and banished to 
Yienne, in Gaul. Augustus united Judsea and Sama- 
ria to the Eoman province of Syria, and appointed 
Coponius procurator of Judsea. The property of 
Archelaus was confiscated, and a new census taken 
in order to apportion the tribute. (Luke ii. 1 — 5.) 

Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee.f is described 
by Josephus as a crafty and incestuous prince. It was 
he, who having repudiated his wife, the daugliter of 
Aretas, king of Arabia, forcibly took away and married 
Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip; to gratify whom, 
he caused John the Baptist to be beheaded, he having 

* The mountainous district of Zenodorus. 

J The word Tetrarch, in its grammatical sense, implies the governor 
of a quarter, or the fourth part of a province ; but it was afterwards 
conventionally used to designate the goremor of a district or sub- 
division of country, whether such district were the fourth part of a 
province or otherwise. Herod's kingdom, for iustauce, was divided 
in*o only tiiree pans. 



432 



HiSROD PHILIP KING AGFtlPPA. 



reproved them for their illegal and incestuous marriage. 
It was this Herod, also, that laid snares for our Saviour, 
who, knowing his subtle designs, termed him a fox. 
(Luke xiii. 32.) Some years afterwards, Herod, aspiring 
to the regal dignity, was banished to Lyons, in Gaul, 
and his tetrarchy annexed to the territories of Agrippa. 

Herod Philip, though he had his princely foibles, was 
an amiable man, and a humane governor. After a reign 
of thirty-seven years, dying without issue, his territories 
were appended to the Roman province of Syria. His 
name occurs but once in the New Testament. (Luke iii. 1.) 

Besides these immediate descendants of Herod, there 
were two others who succeeded to a fresh arrangement 
of his kingdom. These were Agrippa senior, and Agrippa 
junior — both mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. 
Agrippa, the elder, or Herod Agrippa, was the son of 
Aristobulus, one of the sons of Herod by Mariamne, 
who was put to death by his unnatural father. During 
the early part of his life he resided at Rome as a private 
person, and contrived to ingratiate himself into the 
favour of the Emperor Tiberius ; but, subsequently, fall- 
ing into disgrace, he was thrown into prison, where he 
remained till the accession of Caligula, who released 
him, and gave him the tetrarchy of his uncle Philip : 
namely, Trachonitis, Gaulonitis, and Batansea, with the 
title of king; to which countries the emperor Claudius 
afterwards added Abilene, Judaea, and Samaria : so that 
he became sole king of the Jews, and reigned over 
a greater extent of territory than his grandfather, Herod 
the Great, had done. This is the Agrippa, or " Herod 
the king,^^ as he is termed, (Acts xii. 1,) who put to 
death the apostle James, and imprisoned Peter, in order 
to sustain his popularity with the Jews. Soon after, he 
went to Csesarea, and there celebrated games in honour 
of the Emperor Claudius, his patron and benefactor. On 



AGRIPPA THE TETRARCH. 



433 



the second day of the games^ he appeared in the theatre 
very early in the morning, arrayed in a magnificent robe 
of silver, to give audience to the Tyrians and Sidonians. 
At the close of his oration^ the multitude, dazzled by 
the splendour of his appearance, saluted him as a god, 
according to the custom of that period. Because he 
did not repel this idolatrous salutation, and ascribe his 
greatness to its true source, he was smitten with an 
incurable disease; "and he was eaten of worms, and 
(five days after) gave up the ghost/^ (Acts xii. 23.)* 

The younger Agrippa, at the time of his father^s death, 
was only seventeen years of age ; and being judged un- 
equal to the task of government, his father^ s dominions 
were united to Syria, of which province Cassius Longinus 
was made prefect. (45 a. d.) In this year, during the 
procuratorship of Fadus, commenced the grievous famine 
referred to in Acts xi. 28. Agrippa was made king of 
Chalcis, in exchange for which kingdom, Claudius sub- 
sequently gave him the tetrarchy which had formerly 
belonged to Philip ; the rest of Judsea still remaining 
under the government of the Roman procurator. It 
was before this Agrippa, and his sister Berenice, that 
St. Paul delivered his eloquent defence, which almost 
per^iuaded the king to become a Christian. (Acts xxvi.) 

Palestine — including Judaea Proper, Samaria, and Ga- 
lilee — may now be considered as solely under the govern- 
ment of the Roman procurators : t the first of whom, 

* Joseph. Antiq. xix. 7, 3, 4 ; viii. 2. 

t These officers "were appointed, not by the senate, but by the 
Roman emperors themselves; and their duties consisted in collecting 
and remitting tlie imperial tribute, in the administration of justice, and 
the repression of popular tumults. They had the power of life and 
death in capital causes ; and on account oi their high dignity they 
are sometimes called governors— (IlyE^ovEf.) Some of them held 
independent jurisdiction : while others were subordinate to the pro- 
rjonsul, or prefect of the nearest province ; thus Judsea was annexed 
10 the province of Syria. (Home's Introd. vol. iii. pp. 112, 113.) 



434 PONTIUS PILATE ANTONIUS FELIX, ETC. 

to go back a little in our narrative, was Coponius, who 
was appointed after the baniskment of Arcbelaus ; then 
Marcus Ambivius; then Valerius Gratus; and then 
Pontius Pilate, who was sent by Tiberius to govern 
Judaea about the year 26 a. d., and by whom our 
Saviour was delivered to crucifixion. He held his office 
ten years, when he was banished to Gaul by Cahgula, 
in consequence of accusations preferred against him by 
the Jews for cruelty and mal-administration. He is 
supposed to have died, not long after, by his own hand. 
After the banishment of Pilate, Judaea reverted, for a 
short time, to the family of Herod ; being governed 
by Herod Agrippa, with the title of king, as ah-eady 
stated. At his death, it was again reduced to the rank 
of a minor province, and the government confided to 
a procurator sent from Rome. The first after the death 
of Agrippa, and the next in order to Pilate, was An- 
tonius Fehx ; before whom St. Paul pleaded his cause 
against the Roman orator TertuUus, and with whom, 
at his second hearing, he "reasoned of righteousness, 
temperance, and judgment to come,^^ until Felix, who 
was by no means exemplary for those virtues, 
"trembled.'^ (Acts xxiv.) Felix either resigned, or 
was recalled, about the year 60 a. d., and was suc- 
ceeded by Porcius Festus ; before whom, also, together 
with the younger Agrippa, who had come to Caesarea 
to congratulate Festus on his appointment, Paul, 
whose cause had been left undecided by Felix, de- 
fended himself against the accusations of the Jews, 
and by whom, having appealed to Caesar, he was 
sent to Rome ; both Festus and Agrippa declaring that 
he had done nothing worthy of death or of bonds. 
(Acts XXV. and xxvi.) Festus died in Judaea about 
the year 63 a. d., and was succeeded by Albinus. 
The state of lawless disorder which prevailed at this 



GESSITJS FLORUS. 



435 



period was constantly growing worse and worse. The 
country was infested with robbers and Sicarii and, 
although Albinus exerted himself to apprehend them, 
he immediately released those from whom he conld 
obtain money, and punished such only as were unable 
to gratify his avarice. The chief priests began to 
encroach on the rights of the lower priests. They 
sent their servants to the threshing-floors, and took 
away by force the tithes which belonged to the com- 
mon priests. The deposed high-priest Ananus, who 
was the richest man in the nation, and had purchased 
the favour of Albinus, surpassed all his contem- 
poraries in violence and rapine. Even the procurator 
himself did not hesitate to promote theft and mur- 
der, when it contributed to his own interest; and 
he might have been regarded, without impropriety, 
as the head and instigator of all the robbers in the 
country. 

He was succeeded, in the year 65 a. d., by Gessius 
Florus, compared with whom, even the unprincipled 
Albinus was a good man.f This political fire-brand 

* The Sicarii were a set of secret assassins that sprang np during 
the procuratorship of Felix. They soon became more numerous and 
formidable than the robbers ; perpetrating the most atrocious murders* 
even in the temple and in the public streets, and yet escaping 
iletection. They carried daggers concealed under their garments ; 
and, mingling in a crowd, they would despatch their victims by a 
secret thrust, and immediately conceal themselves among the multi- 
tud':!, and evade observadon. They were called Sicarii from the sica, 
or sliort dagger, which they made use of. 

fit was said that Albinus should have been grateful to Florus, for 
proving that he was not the basest of mankind, by the evidence that 
a baser existed ; that he had a respect for virtue, by his condescending 
to commit those robberies in private which his successor perpetrated 
in public ; and that he had human feeling, by his abstaining froir 
blood where he could gain nothing by murder : while Florus disdaine' 
alike concealment and cause, and slaughtered for the brutal pleasure 
of the sword. 



436 



GESSIUS FLORTTS. 



was the personification of all evil^ without so much 
as one redeeming quality. He concentrated in him- 
self all the vices of his predecessors, and added to 
them many peculiarly his own. He was not only 
tyrannical, cruel, and avaricious, but his avarice was 
utterly insatiable. He readily afforded protection to 
all robbers who would divide their spoil with him; 
and nothing was wanting but an official proclamation 
giving permission for all to rob, who were willing to 
bring a share of their plunder to the procurator. The 
Jews had been ill-used and oppressed by former 
governors; but Elorus inflicted cruelties upon them 
deliberately, and by system. The appointment of such 
a man to the supreme civic office, was calculated to 
inflame the popular discontent, and foment the gather- 
ing elements of rebellion into a storm of national 
vengeance. 



CHAPTER VI. 

Provocations offered to the Jews— Popular Commotion — Outbreak of 
the Jewish "War-^Campaign of Vespasian —Vespasian declared Emperor 
of Rome. 



In tlie year 66 a. d.^ the twelfth year of the reign of 
NerOj and the second of the procuratorship of Florus^ 
the imperial edict was received at Csesarea, by which the 
Syrian and Greek inhabitants of that city were raised 
above the J ews, and became entitled to the first rank as 
citizens. 

" Soon after^ a Csesarean Greek, who owned a piece 
of land directly in front of the Jewish synagogue, began 
to erect a building npon it, which left the J ews a very 
narrow passage to their place of worship. The young 
J ews at first molested the workmen ; but after Florus 
had taken measures to prevent their interference, John, 
a publican, with many other Jews of the first rank, went 
to the procurator, and gave him eight talents to prohi- 
bit the further progress of the work. This Florus pro- 
mised to do, but he soon after went to Sebaste (Samaria), 
without having performed his promise ; and it was thus 
made to appear as though he had sold the Jews permis- 
sion to vindicate their rights by arms. They however 
remained quiet.* 

But, on the next day, which was the Sabbath, a cer- 



Josephus, Jewish War ii. 14, 



438 



POPULAR COMMOTION. 



tain Ci^esareaD, to insnlt the Jews^ turned over an 
earthen vessel near the entrance of the synagogue, and 
began to sacrifice birds on the bottom of it. The Jews 
were very much irritated by this outrage on their sacred 
rites, and the more moderate among them thought of 
applying to the magistrates for protection ; but the en 
raged multitude prepared themselves to fight, and they 
were soon met by a number of Greeks and Syrians, who 
had instigated the Csesarean to make the offensive 
offering. Jucundus, the Roman master of horse, has- 
tened to quell the tumult ; but he was repelled by the 
superior numbers of Csesareans. The J ews then took 
their sacred books from the synagogue, and carried 
them to Narbata, about sixty stadia from Csesarea. In 
the meantime, the publican John, with twelve other dis- 
tinguished Jews, went to Sebaste to lay their grievances 
before the procurator : but as soon as they arrived, 
Florus put them all in prison, because they had removed 
their sacred books from Csesarea.* 

This arbitrary measure of the procurator causecj great 
excitement at Jerusalem, but there was yet no appearance 
of sedition. Florus therefore, in order to exasperate the 
feelings of the people, and if possible provoke them to 
rebellion, sent to Jerusalem, and demanded seventeen 
talents from the sacred treasury for the use of the emperor. 
This had the desired effect : a tumult was excited, and re- 
proaches and insults were openly cast upon the procurator. 
Florus now approached the city in person, with a body of 
horse and foot, to enforce his demand. The people went 
out to meet him, with the intention of paying him every 
mark of respect, and saluting him with the customary 
shout of joy ; but he, instead of receiving their homage, 
ordered his cavalry to drive them back into the city. The 
next day, he demanded from his throne the surrender of 

* Josephus, Jewish War, ii. 14, 5. 



OUTBREAK OF THE JEWISH WAR. 



439 



those who had joined in the reproaches which had been 
cast upon him. He would hsten to no apology, or pallia- 
tion, or petition for pardon, but in his rage ordered his 
soldiers to plunder the upper market j and they, not satis- 
fied with this, proceeded to pillage several private houses, 
and masacre the inhabitants. Many of the most peace- 
able citizens, and among the rest some publicans who 
held the rank of Roman knights, were dragged before 
Floras, and by his orders were scourged and crucified. 
Nearly 3600 Jews lost their lives in this disturbance. 
King Agrippa was then at Alexandria ; but his wife Bere- 
nice, who was at Jerusalem, was exposed to great danger 
from the fury of the Roman soldiers.* 

The next day, the chief priests and principal citizens, 
dressed in mourning, made every exertion to silence the 
lamentations of the people over those who had been 
murdered, lest Morns should be still more enraged by 
these demonstrations of grief. But Florus was deter- 
mined on inflaming their discontents : he accordingly 
called the principal citizens before him, and demanded 
that the people, as a proof of their return to obedience, 
should go out and meet, with a shout of joy, the two co- 
horts which were advancing from Csesarea, The priests 
and noblemen were obliged to resort to the most humi- 
liating entreaties, before they could persuade the people 
to take this step ; and when they at last consented to 
go, they were received with insult ; for Florus had sent 
orders to the soldiers not to answer the shout of the 
Jews, and if they manifested any dissatisfaction at this 
neglect, to fall upon them sword in hand. The result 
was such as the procurator desired ; many of the Jews 
were wounded and slain, or crushed to death in the 
crowd, and the remainder driven back to the city. The 
next day, Florus attempted to press into the temple 

* Josephus, Jewish War, ii. 14, 6—9: xv. 1. 



440 OUTjfeEAK OF THE JEWISH WAR. 

vith his soldiers; but the people resisted by arms^ and 
fbugbt so bravely, that the Romans were compelled to 
•etire into the royal castle. The Jews then demolished 
;he covered way which led from the Castle of Antonia 
:o the temple, the more effectually to secure their 
sanctuary from the approach of the Romans. After 
Florus supposed that he had sufficiently kindled the 
fires of rebellion by these abuses, he returned to 
Csesarea, and left only one cohort in Jerusalem.* 

Florus immediately sent notice of these occurrences to 
Cestius Gallus; but the principal Jcavs and the Queen 
Berenice, at the same time, informed Cestius of the 
unreasonable and cruel conduct of the procurator. 
Cestius put his army in motion, but he sent his friend 
Neapolitanus before him, to learn the disposition of the 
Jews, and to obtain more accurate intelligence. At 
Jamnia, Neapolitanus met Agrippa, who had returned 
from Egypt, and made knows to him the object of his 
mission. The chief priests and noblemen of the Jews 
had assembled to pay their respects to the king, and 
they complained to him of the inhumanity of Florus. 
Agrippa reproved them for their seditious conduct, 
though he was in reality highly irritated against Florus. 
Agrippa and Neapolitanus were received at Jerusalem 
with every mark of respect. The people, who met them 
without the walls of the city with the customary salu- 
tation, called on Agrippa for aid, represented their 
unhappy condition to Neapolitanus, and showed him 
the ruins which had been made in their capital. When 
Neapolitanus perceived that the Jews had no hostile 
feelings against the Romans, but only against Florus^ 
he collected them in the temple, exhorted them to 
peace, and then returned to Cestius. The people were 
entirely pacified, and persuaded to remain subject to 

* Josephus, Jewish War, ii. 15, 2-— 6. 



CAMPAIGN OF VESPASIAN. 



44.1 



the Romans^, by a speech which Agrippa addressed to 
them in the gymnasium. They willingly paid the 
arrears of their tribute, and rebuilt the portico between 
the temple and the Castle of Antonia. But when 
Agrippa afterwards ventured to advise them to remain 
obedient to Florus till another procurator could be sent 
to Judsea, they insulted him, attacked him with stones, 
and drove him out of their city/^ 

Subsequent to this rash act, which was condemned 
by the more sober part of the people, the spirit of 
disaffection rapidly spread; the whole country was 
in commotion ; and many deeds of violence were 
committed by the enraged populace. At length, on 
the fifth of July, (66 a.d.,} the Jews rose upon their 
rulers, and killed the Roman garrison in Jerusalem. 
A dreadful retribution, by the powerful and exaspe- 
rated Romans, was sure to follow such a measure as 
this. It was regarded by the Christians as a prognos- 
tic of the gathering storm ; and, according to the 
admonition of our Saviour, they "fled to the moun- 
tains.^^ When the Jewish rebellion was known at 
Rome, Nero was highly exasperated with Cestius, the 
prefect of Syria, to whose negligence it was attributed. 
Vespasian, who had just returned from his victories 
over the Germans and Britons, was immediately ap- 
pointed prefect of Syria, and commander of the army 
destined to act against Jerusalem. Having arrived 
in Palestine, (67 a. d,) he took up his head quarters 
at Ptolemais, and there assembled his forces; which, 
including the Roman troops, the auxiliaries of Anti- 
ochus, Agrippa, Sohem, and Malchus the Arab chief- 
tain, together with the fifth and tenth legions brought 
by Titus from Alexandria, amounted to 60,000 effective 
warriors. Vespasian marched first into Galilee, where 
the very appearance of his formidable army struck 



442 



CAMPAIGN OF VESPASIAN . 



the inhabitants with terror, and many fled precipi- 
tately before him. Having subdued several other 
places he advanced against Jotapata, within whose 
walls many of the Jews had taken refuge. It was 
defended with great bravery by Josephus and his 
heroic garrison for forty-seven days, but was at 
length betrayed into the hands of the Romans. 
40,000 Jews had been slain during the siege, and 
when the city was taken, 1200 were made prisoners, 
aud the city utterly demolished. Josephus, with forty 
others, concealed themselves in a cavern; but they 
were betrayed by a woman who had been made pri- 
soner. The Romans entreated him to surrender, and 
promised to spare his life ; but his companions would 
not suffer him to accept their offers. They finally 
agreed, at the suggestion of Josephus, to destroy one 
another by lot ; and when they were all slain, except- 
ing Josephus and another, they both surrendered 
themselves to the Romans. Josephus was put in 
chains, but afterwards, when he foretold that Vespa- 
sian would be raised to the imperial throne, he was 
treated with great respect, especially when his pre- 
diction was verified by the event. 

The whole of GaUlee was shortly subdued to the 
Roman power, vast numbers were slain, and many 
taken prisoners. In the campaigns of 68 and 69 a. n., 
Vespasian was equally successful in Persea, Idumsea, 
and Judaea, and reduced the greater part of the coun- 
try to obedience. But when he had taken all the 
strong places which covered Jerusalem, and was pre- 
paring his approaches to that city, the death of Nero, 
and the dissensions that followed in the empire, 
suspended his operations, and gave time to such Chris- 
tians as remained in the city to make their escape. 
While at Csesarea, Vespasian received intelligence that 



VESPASIAN DECLARED EMPEROR. 



443 



the German legions had raised ViteUius to the imperial 
throne. Vespasian and his whole army were highly 
displeased with this election. They immediately held 
a council^ and declai'ed Vespasian emperor of Rome. 
They entreated him to sustain the sinking glory of the 
empire; they would listen to no excuse, and even 
threatened him with death, if he refused to accept the 
proffered dignity; so true is it that whereas "some 
men are born to greatness, and some men achieve 
greatness, others have greatness thrust upon them/' 



CHAPTER VII. 



Internal State of Jerusalem— John the Gischalite— The Zealots- 
Simon of Gerasa— Faction of Eleazar. 



After the siege of Gischala by Titus, John, commonly 
called Jolin the Gischalite, the leader of a desperate band 
of robbers, having made his escape by night, fled to J erii- 
salem, and there gathered around him a number of asso- 
ciates, as violent and bloodthirsty as himself. The state of 
things within the city was every day growing more alarm- 
ing. Law and order were recklessly violated ; all legitimate 
authority was powerless ; the flood-gates of anarchy were 
thrown open, and all the barriers and safeguards of society 
gave way before the rushing torrent. Faction rose upon 
faction ; families were divided ; and party ranged against 
party. Bands of robbers infested the city, and committed 
their depredations openly and in broad daylight. They 
seized and imprisoned the three royal princes, Antipas, 
Levias^ and Sophias, with several other noblemen; 
and afterwards put them to death, under pretence that 
they designed to deliver up the city to the Komans. 
Perceiving that the people were awed and intimidated 
by these violent measures, they became still more 
during. They excited dissensions among the noblemen, 
r nd then put them to death and appropriated their 



JOHN THE GISCHALITE THE ZEALOTS. 445 



estates. Disregarding the hereditary rights of the 
high-priestSj they disposed of the highest ecclesiastical 
offices by lot among the meanest of their partisans. 
Phannias was made high-priest; a man who had beeo 
bred to labour in the fields and was taken directly from 
the plough who knew nothing of the duties of his office, 
and served only to bring it into contempt. The people 
were at length induced by the persuasions of Ananus^ 
Gorion^ and some other of the chief priests^ to take up 
arms against these seditious outlaws^ who had assumed 
the name of Zealots. But while Ananus was arrang- 
ing and organizing his forces^ the Zealots rushed out 
of the temple, and murdered all who came in their 
way. The army of Ananus, though then but ill-dis- 
ciplined and scantily supplied with arms, maintained 
their ground, and an obstinate battle was fought, in 
which many were killed and wounded on both sides. 
Such skirmishes were afterwards frequent, and the 
Zealots were generally victorious; till at last, on one 
occasion, Ananus with his party pressed on so closely 
after the retreaticg Zealots, that he rushed with them 
into the temple. They then fled into the inner cornet 
and closed the gates ; and Ananus, out of reverence for 
the sacred place, declined to pursue his advantage any 
further. He, however, left a garrison of 6000 men 
in the outer court, who were relieved by others at 
regular intervals. 

The state of parties in Jerusalem at this awful period 
of its history is ably delineated by Dr. Jahn, in his 
learned and elaborate work on the Hebrew Common- 
wealth. John the Gischahte," he observes, pro- 
fessedly espoused the cause of Ananus, but held a 
secret correspondence with the Zealots ; and when his 
treachery was suspected, he asserted his fidelity with 
a solemn oath, and so entirely freed himself from all 



446 JOHN THE GISCHALITE THE ZEALOTS. 



suspicion, tliat he was sent to tlie Zealots to enter 
into negotiations for peace. He took this opportunity 
to advise the Zealots to call the Idumseans to their 
aid, 2000 of whom soon after appeared before Jeru- 
salem. Ananus shut the gates against them, and in vain 
endeavoured, by the most earnest entreaties, to dissuade 
them from their purpose. They remained all night be- 
fore the city, exposed to the fury of a violent storm of 
rain and thunder. The Zealots, taking advantage of the 
noise occasioned by the wind, rain, and thunder, sawed 
off the bars which confined the gates of the temple, with- 
out being heard by the garrison in the outer court, went 
unperceived to the gates of the city, which they opened, 
and conducted the Idumseans to the temple, where 
their comrades had already issued from the inner court 
to meet them. They now, with their united strength, 
fell upon the garrison in the outer court, who at first 
defended themselves with great bravery; but as soon 
as they perceived that the Idumseans were among them, 
they threw down their swords, and raised a cry of 
despair. By this the inhabitants of the city were 
awakened; but not daring to go to the aid of the 
garrison, they, particularly the women, set up another 
shriek of terror. Meanwhile the garrison of the outer 
court was cut to pieces, and many precipitated them- 
selves from the porticoes of the temple into the city. 
The Idumseans then rushed into the city, and cut down 
all whom they met; but sought principally for the 
chief priests, among whom Ananus was slain. Josephus 
intimates that Ananus would have restored peace with 
the Romans, had his life been spared; since he had 
already done much towards suppressing the haughty 
spirit of the seditious. The Idumseans and Zealots 
massacred great numbers of the people, and put the 
more distinguished citizens in prison, where they 



JOHN THE GISCHALITE THE ZEALOT*. 447 

attempted to compel them to join their party^ by severe 
treatment and scourging; and finally put those to 
death who firmly refused to comply with their demands. 
They seized them by day, and murdered them in the 
night j and then threw out their dead bodies, to make 
room for other prisoners. They accused the wealthy 
ZacliariaSj the son of Baruch, before seventy judges 
whom they called together, of a design to betray the 
city into the hands of Vespasian ; and when he began 
to make his defence, and to shew the injustice of the 
accusation, they made such a tumult that his voice 
could not be heard. Notwithstanding this, the judges 
acquitted him ; and for this act of justice they were 
immediately beaten from their seats, and Zacharias was 
murdered by two Zealots in the midst of the temple. 
When the Idumseans witnessed the violence of the 
Zealots, and heard of all the barbarous crimes of 
which they had been guilty, they released the 2000 
prisoners whom they had taken, and went home 
mortified and disgusted by the conduct of their allies. 
The Zealots, however, did not cease to commit murder, 
under pretence of punishing treason. 

Many now sought refuge with the Romans, who looked 
on with pleasure, and saw their enemies destroy iug one 
another. All the avenues from the city were indeed 
strongly guarded, and those who were detected in their 
flight were put to death ; but money could open for any 
one a way of escape, and it was those only who were un- 
able or unwilling to bribe the guards, that were delivered 
up and executed as traitors. The dead bodies of such as 
had fallen by the hand of the executioner, lay unburied in 
the streets, because no one ventured to bury them, lest he 
should himself be regarded and treated as a traitor. All 
human laws were trampled under foot, the laws of God 



'48 JOHN THE GISCHALITE ^THE ZEALOTS. 

veve despised, the prophets were ridiculed as fanatics 
ind jugglers, although the Zealots themselves were now 
ulfiiling their prophecies; for, (as Josephus observes,) 
they had foretold that the city should be destroyed and 
the temple burnt, when a revolt should break out, and the 
temple should be profaned by the citizens themselves; 
which predictions the Zealots were now accomplishing.' 

John the Gischalite, a brave and sagacious, but 
unprincipled man, now began to assume absolute 
authority, and endeavoured to make himself sole 
master of the city ; but his pretensions were strongly 
opposed. The citizens were consequently divided into 
two factions, who were frequently engaged in bloody 
conflicts. The robbers and Sicarii meanwhile had 
increased throughout the country in numbers and 
audacity. The robbers of Massada, who had hitherto 
plundered only to supply themselves with pronsions, 
now undertook more extensive depredations. On the 
Feast of the Passover they attacked the town of 
Engaddi, drove out the inhabitants, murdered more 
than 700 women and childi^en, pillaged the town, and 
brought their booty to Massada. In a short time 
they devastated that whole region; while others did 
the same in other places, and then fled with their booty 
to the deserts. 

While the rebels were left njidisturbed by the 
Romans, a new dissension broke out among them- 
selves. Simon of Gerasa, the sou of Giora, a less 
subtle but more daring man than John the Gischalite, 
now attempted to place himself at the head of the 
rebels. After his expulsion from the district of 
Acrabatene by Ananus, he joined the robbers at 
Masada, and gained their confidence by his daring 
depredations. After the death of Ananus he withdi'e^ 



SIMON OF GERASA THE ZEALOTS. 449 

to the mountains^ and soon drew around him a nume- 
rous party by promising freedom to the slaves^ and great 
rewards to tlie free men who would join him.* 

He now began to plunder the villages on the moun- 
tainSj and soon extended his depredations to the plains. 
In a short time he became formidable to the cities_, and 
was then joined by some of the nobles. He now carried 
his robberies into Idumsea^ fortified the village of Nain^ 
deposited his booty in the caves of the Vale of Pharan, 
and left there a large number of his adherents as a 
garrison. The Zealots took the field against him^ but 
were overpowered and driven back to Jerusalem. In 
Idumgea, he fought with 20_,000 men against 25^000 
sidumseans for a whole day^ without gaining a decisive 
victory. Soon after, he encamped at Thecoa with 
40,000 men, when Idumsea fell into his power by 
treachery, and he desolated the whole country with fire 
and sword. The Zealots did not venture again to take 
the field against him, and they were obliged to restore 
to him his wife, and a great number of his adherents, 
who had fallen into their power by a stratagem ; for the 
irritated Simon led his army to Jerusalem, put to death 
many who came out of the city, cut off the hands of 
others, and sent them back with the threat that he 
would break through the walls and treat all the Jews in 
the same manner, unless they sent him back his wife. 
The intimidated Zealots were accordingly compelled to 
submit.f 

Simon returned to Idumsea and resumed his robberies; 
and when the Idumseans attempted to escape to Jeru- 
salem, he pursued them to the walls, surrounded the 
city, and slew all who were going out to their fields or 
returning from them. The condition of those within 

* Jewish War, iv. 9. 3. Tacitus, Hist. v. 12. 
t Jewish War, iv. 9. 4—8. 



450 JOHN THE GISCHALITE THE ZEALOTS. 



the city was ho better than that of those without; 
every species of enormity was practised by the Zealots, 
especially by John the Gischalite and his Galileans. 
To plunder and murder the rich, and ravish the women, 
was mere pastime to these shameless wretches; they 
polluted themselves by nameless obscenities, and 
imitated the dress and ornaments and wantonness of 
females. J osephus says, ' the whole city was one great 
brothel, a horrid den of robbers, and a hateful cave of 
murderers.' * 

At last an army, to which the Idumseans attached them- 
selves, was raised against John, and a bloody battle was 
fought in the city. Many of the Zoalots fell, and the re- 
mainder took refuge in the palace which had been built by 
Grapte, a relative of King Izates, whence they were soon 
expelled and driven into the temple. The Idumseans now 
plundered the palace which John the Gischalite had made 
his place of residence, and in which he had deposited his 
treasures. The Zealots, who were dispersed in different 
parts of the city, collected for the aid of their comrades in 
the temple ; and John made preparations for an assault on 
the Idumseans and the people. In this distress the people 
opened their gates to Simon, who indeed kept John closely 
besieged in the temple, but soon proved himself as tyran- 
nical a master as his rival. He could gain little advantage 
against the temple, where the Zealots were favoured by the 
height of the place ; and they now built for their greater 
security four additional towers, and provided them with 
engines for throwing stones and darts. Thus there were 
continual hostihties among the Jews themselves in the 
city.'' 

* Jewish War, iv. 9, 10, 



CHAPTER VIII. 



Advance of Titus against Jerusalem — Commencement of tie Siege- 
Conquest of the Outer AYall — Capture of the Lower City — Siege of the 
Tower of Antonia — Assault on the Temple — Burning of the Temple — 
Conquest and Conflagration of the Upper City — Complete Demolition 
of Jerusalem — Close of the Jewish War. 



Vespasian being declared emperor,, (69 a.d.) he devolved 
the command of the army in Judaea on his son Titns^ and 
left him to complete the subjugation of that country. 

^'AYlien Titus advanced against Jerusalem^ at the head 
of 60^000 men — Romans and auxiliaries — multitudes of 
Jews were collected in the city^ from all quarters^ to 
celebrate the Feast of Passover. This circumstance 
greatly enhanced the subsequent calamities of the siege ; 
as such vast numbers soon consumed the provisions which 
remained in the city^ and speedily produced the most; 
horrible famine that ever history recorded. It was pro- 
bably in contemplation of such a result^ that Titus 
selected this time for his advance ; as he would reason- 
ably calculate that the siege would be shortened by the 
besieged being obliged to surrender from want of food. 
He needed all the hope which might be derived from 
such a consideration^ for the enterprise which he had 
undertaken was one of no ordinary difficulty. The 
city itself was strong from its situation-; besides which, 
its fortifications were, for that age, of remarkable 



453 COMMENCEMENT OF THE SIEGE. 



strength, and of recent erection. The ancient walls 
had indeed been dera dished by Pompey ; and when 
Herod Agrippa undertook to repair the foundations and 
raise the walls, the governor of Syria took alarm, and ob- 
tained an order from Rome, prohibiting the continuance 
of the work. After Herod^s death, however, the Jews 
purchased permission from the venal Claudius to resume 
the undertaking, and availed themselves of the advantage 
with such good effect, that the town came to be considered 
little less than impregnable. The walls and battlements 
were completed to the height of twenty-five cubits, and 
the breadth of ten cubits, built with great stones twenty 
cubits long and ten broad, so that they could not be easily 
undermined, nor shaken by military engines. This was 
the outer wall, (for there were two others,) and it was 
strengthened with sixty strong and lofty towers. The two 
other walls were of corresponding strength, the second 
having fourteen towers an d the third eighty. Besides this, 
there were several castles of extraordinary strength, such 
as those of Hippicos, Phasael, Mariamne, and Antonia ; 
not to mention the royal palace and some others, that were 
stately and well fortified. The temple itself exceeded in 
strength : and for its situation, with its walls, towers, and 
other buildings, was at least equal to the strongest fortress 
then existing. The defenders were numerous, wanting no 
arms or warlike engines, invincibly obstinate, and brave to 
desperation. But, on the other hand, they wanted expe- 
rience in the defence of towns, and in the use of .warlike 
engines which they had taken from the Romans; their 
stores of provisions were utterly inadequate, and in a com'se 
of rapid exhaustion ; and they were at variance among 
themselves, and with the unwarlike multitudes in the city, 
who sighed for safety and peace. However, the party aii- 
ferences of the defenders of the city were somewhat dimi- 
nished, almost as soon as the Romans made their appear- 



COMMENCEMENT OF THE SIEGE. 453 

ance, by the suppression of the party of Eleazar, which put 
John in sole possession of the temple_, and left him free to 
act with Simon against the Romans, and against Simon 
when the Romans intermitted their assaults. This was 
the principal contest throughout the siege. The two great 
parties concurred in defence of the city; but when the 
urgent occasion had passed, they turned their arms against 
each other. Thus there was two-fold war, and the life- 
blood of Jerusalem was drained without respite. John 
defended the temple and the Castle of Antonia, and 
Simon the rest of the city. The space which their pre- 
vious devastations had cleared within the city, served 
them for a field of battle against each other ; from whicli, 
when occasion required, they unanimously hastened to 
act against the common enemy ; after which, their mutual 
hostilities were resumed, as if they had studied how to 
make their ruin more easy to the Romans. 

When Titus arrived before the city, he made an ostenta- 
tious display of his forces, in battle array, in three divisions : 
the first and principal encamped at Scopas, about seven 
stadia from the city northward; the second about three 
stadia behind ; and the third eastward, on the Mount of 
Olives. The first week, being the week of the Passover, 
he spent in making such arrangements as the survey which 
he had made showed to be necessary, and in preparing the 
ground for future operations. The ground between Scopas 
and the city was leveled and cleared, by the demolition of 
trees, houses, hedges, and even rocks, which supplied 
materials to raise against the wall, banks on which the 
military engines were planted ; and the overtures of peace 
having been rejected with insult and scorn, he commenced 
active operations the day after the ending of the Paschal 
week, being Sunday, April 22. And here it may be ob- 
served, that Titus was instructed to avoid the error which 
bad proved fatal to Cestius, who had made an attack on the 



454 



CONQUEST OF THE OUTER WALL. 



Sabbath, expecting that the Jews would not fight on that 
day; and learnt otherwise to his cost. Titus knew that 
their present principle was, that they might on that day 
resist assailing enemies, in self-defence, but that they 
might not attack them if otherwise employed. Hence, the 
Boman general adopted the policy of Pompey, who, with- 
out molestation, employed the Sabbaths in undermining 
the walls, raising mounts, and constructing military en- 
gines, preparatory to his attacks on the Sundays. This 
explains how it happened that the most important events 
of the war took place on the day following the Sabbath- 
Three moveable towers having been erected on the banks, 
and the battering rams having been brought to bear on the 
wall in three different places, the assault began, and 
the cry of terror arose throughout the city at the noise 
and destruction occasioned by these machines.* Simon 
planted on the wall the military engines taken from 
Cestius ; but want of skill in the men rendered them 
ineffective. The missiles from the towers soon cleared 
the wall, and left the rams to work unimpeded. 
Simon and John, however, concurred in some despe- 

llie skill of man, exerted for ages on the arts of compendious 
slaughter, has scarcely produced the equals of those horrible engines. 
They threw masses of inextinguishable fire, of boiling water, of burn- 
mg oil, of red-hot flints, of molten metal, from distances that precluded 
defence, and with a force that nothing could resist. The catapult shot 
stones of a hundred weight from the distance of furlongs, with the 
straightness of an arrow, and with an impulse that ground every thing 
in their way to powder. They battere I duwn walls of solid stone ; they 
tore up the strongest buttresses like weeds ; they struck away whole 
ranks of men, and whirled their shattered remnants through the air. 
They leveled towers, and swept battlements away, with their defenders, 
at a blow. The fortitude that scorned the Roman spear, and exulted 
in the sight of the columns mounting the scaling-ladders, as mounting 
to sure destruction, quailed before the tremendous power of the cata- 
pult. The ominous cry of the watcher that gave notice of its discharge, 
•* The son cometh," was a sound that prostrated every man upon his 
face, until the crash of the walls told that the dreaded blow was giveiu 



SIEGE OF THE TOWER OF ANTONIA. 



455 



rate sallies, in one of whicli they set tlie engines on 
fire. But many of tlie men were taken by the Komans 
and crucified before tlie walls; and these demonstra- 
tions, however brave, were in general ineff'ectual. The 
first breach was made in the outer wall on Sunday, 
May 6th; when the Romans, rushing in through the 
breach, opened the gates, and obtained possession of 
the new city, the Jews retiring behind the second 
wall. The Roman camp was then removed to the 
conquered ground, after the greater part of the outer 
wall had been demolished. The second wall was 
defended with desperate bravery ; and frequent sallies 
were made on the besiegers. The Romans, however, 
gained possession of the walls in five days; but the 
Jews made so obstinate a resistance in the streets, 
that they drove back the enemy, and took possession 
of the breach, from which it took three days more 
to expel them. 

Titus being thus master of the new and lower cities, 
turned his attention to the Tower of Antonia ; and the 
stand here made by the besieged extorted the admiration 
of their enemies. John, who held the castle, dug a 
mine therefrom to the banks, by which they were de- 
stroyed: and two days after, Simon assaulted the re- 
maining banks, and set fire to the engines that were 
planted on tliem. The flames spread to the banks, which 
were chiefly constructed of felled trees, and destroyed 
them, obliging the Romans to retreat to their camp, 
where they had an obstinate and bloody conflict, before 
they could drive back the Jews who had pursued them. 

After this, and in order that famine might accomplish 
all its work in the town, by the besieged being shut up 
more closely, and precluded from all means of escapci 
Titus built a wall of cireumvallation all round the city, 
fortified at due intervals with thirteen towers, in which 



456 



SIEGE OF THE TOWER OF ANTONIA. 



strong guards were stationed. This vast work, which 
was about six miles in extent, was accomplished by the 
Roman soldiers in three days, through one of those ex- 
ertions of concentrated energy and application, which 
they alone, in that age, were capable of displaying. 

Having accomplished this work, the Romans resumed 
their operations against Fort Antonia, which they took 
without much difficulty; for the garrison being ex- 
hausted by famine, made but a feeble defence. Titus 
ordered it to be entirely demolished, that the site might 
aiiord ground for the operations against the temple, 
which became the next object of attack. At this time 
(July 12th) the daily sacrifice ceased in the temple, as 
no one remained properly qualified to officiate. 

Titus, always anxious to preserve the temple, sent 
Josephus on the last of his many embassies to the Zealots, 
inviting them to submission and peace ; or, as an alterna- 
tive, suggesting that John might, if he pleased, draw out 
his forces to battle, so that the temple and city might be 
preserved from destruction. John answered with bitter 
invectives, adding, that Jerusalem was God^s own city, 
and he had no fear that it could ever be taken. Josephus 
in vain reminded him of the blood and abomination with 
which he had himself defiled the city and temple, and 
bade him recollect the ancient prophecies which foretold 
their overthrow. It has been thought possible that 
Josephus had in view the prophecies of Christ, which 
could scarcely have been unknown to him; although 
■ some suppose that the concluding chapters of Zechariah 
supply the reference. His earnest conclusion is 
striking, taken in connexion with the present prophe- 
cies : — ' It is God — it is God himself, who is bringing 
on this fire to purge the city and the temple by the 
Romans, and who is about to pluck up this city, which 
you have fiUed with your pollutions.' Josephus, in- 



ASSAULT ON THE TEMPLE. 



457 



deed, every where manifests his conviction that God was 
with the Romans^ and made use of them for the de- 
struction of a guilty nation. 

The temple now became the great object of Interest 
to all parties. The Jews were for the most part confi- 
dent that it never could be taken ; and expected some 
extraordinary manifestation of Divine power for its 
preservation^ and the overthrow of the Romans. Titus 
was most anxious to preserve so magnificent a fabric 
for the glory of the Roman empire ; but most of the 
superior ofiicers were of opinion that so strong a fabric 
should be destroyed^ lest it might serve as a stronghold 
and rallying point to the Jews in their future rebellions ; 
and the soldiers cared only for the rich plunder which 
it offered. The Jews were prepared to shed their last 
blood in its defence;, and * the Romans deemed aU 
labour light for so rich a prize. And they had much 
labour; for, before they could commence their opera- 
tions, it was necessary to construct banks against the 
walls for the towers and battering-rams ; and for this 
purpose they were obliged to bring wood from a great 
distance, as all the trees for twenty miles round 
Jerusalem had already been destroyed. On the 4th 
of August, a council of war was held to determine 
whether the temple should be destroyed or preserved. 
Most of the officers were for the former alternative, but 
gave way when they saw that their general was obsti- 
nately bent on its preservation. But such was not 
the will of God, who had doomed it to no common 
overthrow. 

Titus being now in possession of the outer court, 
fixed on August the 5 th for storming the temple with 
all his army. But the night before^ two desperate 
sallies were made by the Jews, and, in driving them 
back the last time, the Romans rushed on after them 



458 



BURNING OF THE TEMPLE. 



into the inner court.* One of the soldiers then seized 
a firebrand, and mounting on the shoulders of a com- 
panion, cast it through a window communicating with 
the apartments on the north side of the sanctuary. 
The flames almost immediately burst forth ; on behold- 
ing which, the J ews raised a cry of despair, and ran to 
extinguish them. Titus also hastened to the spot "vvith 
his officers, and made every exertion for the same pur- 
pose, both by voice and action — he entreated, promised, 
threatened, and even struck his men with his staff; 
but, for the time, he had lost all authority and influ- 
ence, and was not heeded by any. The soldiers who 
flocked from the camp, eagerly joined those already on 
the spot in destroying the Jews, in increasing the 
flames, and in stripping the burning pile of its trea- 
sured wealth and ornaments. The general, seeing that 
the soldiers could not be induced to extinguish the 
flames, went into the holy place with his officers, 
while the fire was consuming the outer apartments, 
and had not yet penetrated to the interior. He took 
out the golden candlestick, the incense altar, and the 
table of shew-bread, with some other sacred furniture, 
which were afterwards paraded in his triumph at Eome. 
When he came forth, Titus made one more effort to 
induce the soldiers to put out the fire, but with as 

* " On this occasion, the exasperated' Jews, contemptuous of life, 
fought with the rage of wild heasts. "When the lance was hroken, the 
kuife was the weapon ; when the knife failed, they tore with their hands 
and teeth. Masses of stone, torches, huming liquids, even dead hodies, 
everything that could minister to destruction, were hurled from the roofs 
on the assailants, who were often repulsed with deadly havoc. But 
they still made way; the courts of the Gentiles, of the Israelites, and of 
the priests, were successively stormed ; and the legion at length esta- 
blished themselves in front of the inner temple. Ascreamof wrath and 
agony, at the possible profanation of the Holy of Holies, rose from the 
infuriated muj ';jtnde, and they resolved to rescue the temple, or perish 
in the attempt 



CONQUEST AND CONFLAGRATION^ ETC. 459 

little success as before. On the contrary, they hastened to 
apply their hands to the sanctuary which he had quitted, 
and to every part of the sacred structure, till the flames 
burst forth with redoubled fury in all directions ; and, 
finally, disappointed in the hope he had always cherished, 
ihe general withdrew to his quarters. 

While the temple burned, the soldiers cut down 
Bvery Jew they encountered, and plundered whatever 
they could lay their hands on. The inner court, and 
especially the space about the altar, was covered with 
dead bodies, and blood flowed in streams down to the 
lower court. The gold plate of the gates, and timber 
work of the sanctuary, and the precious articles which 
it contained, afi'orded them rich spoil; so immense, 
indeed, was their booty from this and other spoliations, 
that gold in Syria speedily fell to one-half its former 
value. In the confusion, the Zealots and robbers, who 
had the defence of the place, succeeding in forcing 
their way through the Upper City, there to make their 
last stand. The plundering and butchering being over 
for the present, tee Romans carried their standards 
around the burning temple, and set them up before the 
eastern gate, where they ofi'ered sacrifices, and saluted 
Titus as ' Imperator.^ Thus was destroyed the glorious 
edifice of which our Lord foretold to his disciple, who 
pointed out its ^ goodly stones ' with admiration, that 
^the days shall come in the which there shall not be 
left one stone upon another that shall not be thrown 
down.-' (Luke xxi. 6.) 

Passing over some intermediate circumstances, we 
have now only to state, that the Upper City, or Mount 
Zion, the last refuge of the factious, was taken by the 
Romans on Sunday, September 2nd. Even the Zea- 
lots had now despaired ; the fall of the temple assured 
them that they were indeed abandoned by God. Many, 



460 CONQUEST AND CONFLAGRATION_, ETC. 

therefore, convinced that the Upper City would be 
taken, went to hide themselves in the cellars, vaults, 
and sewers ; others retired to the castle ; and but few 
vrere left to offer but a feeble resistance to theEomans. 
A breach was soon made, and the Jews fled ; but, in- 
stead of hastening to the towers, which were very 
strong, and in which nothing but famine could have 
reduced them, they ran to the Valley of Siloam, with 
the design of forcing their way into the open country, 
through the Eoman wall. In this desperate under- 
taking, they were joined even by the men already in 
the towers, which they hastily abandoned to join their 
fleeing comrades. But they were all repulsed by the 
Roman guards at the wall, and obliged to hasten for 
shelter to the vaults, caverns, sinks, and common 
sewers, hoping, as those who had resorted to such 
shelter in the first instance, that they should be able 
to preserve existence till the Roman forces were with- 
dra^vn from the desolated city. All the rest whom 
the Romans could find were put to death, with the 
2xception of the most vigorous and beautiful, who were 
reserved, as captives, for future calamities worse than 
present death. The city was set on fire ; but so great 
was the slaughter, that the flames were kept under by 
the blood of the slain, and it was not till night that 
the conflagration became general. 

After Titus liad accomplished his mission of vengeanc 3 
against a guilty people, he departed for Csesarea, leaving, 
however, forces, under Terentius Rufus, to complete the 
work of devastation, and to explore the retreats of those 
who had hid themselves with much treasure. Great num- 
bers were found, and slain; and others came forth of thtir 
own accord, being no longer able to endure the extremity 
of famine. Among these, were John and Simon. The 
former appeared first, and begged his life, which was 



COMPLETE DEMOLITION OF JERUSALEM. 461 

granted. Simon, whose retreat was better stored with 
provisions, held out till the end of October, when he was 
seen on the ruins of the temple, arrayed in a white robe 
and purple mantle. The Romans w^ere astonished at this 
apparition, but, learning who he was, they took him, and 
sent him in chains to Titus. He and John were reserved 
to adorn the triumphal pageant with which the conqueror 
entered Rome, and in which they appeared at the head of 
700 captives, selected from the rest for the beauty of their 
personal appearance. After which, Simon was dragged 
through the imperial city vvdth a rope round his neck, 
scourged severely, and then put to death with some other 
Jewish leaders. John, whose life had been granted to 
him, was sent into perpetual imprisonment. 

At Jerusalem, when there was no more blood to shed, 
and w^hen the fire had done its work, the soldiers pro» 
ceeded with the work of demolition, razing even to the 
gi'ound all its noble structures, its walls and fortresses, 
its palaces and towers. Nothing was left save a piece 
of the western wall, to serve as a rampart to the tenth 
legion; and the towers of Hippicos, Phasael, and 
Mariamne, to perpetuate the glory of the conqueror, 
by evincing the strength and splendour of the city he 
had overthrown. The conqueror visited the spot on 
his return from Caesarea, to embark for Eome from 
Alexandria ; and when he saw that utter ruin of a city 
which he had always been anxious to preserve, and to 
the destruction of which he had been compelled by a 
power and by circumstances which he could not resist, 
he could not refrain from tears, cursing the wretches 
who had made him the unwilling author of the ruin 
which he witnessed.* The Saviour of the world had 

* When Titus examined the city, he was astonished at the strength 
of its fortifications, particularly of the towers which the rehels had so 
bftjtily abandoned, and eyclaimed, " It was surely God himself who 



463 COMPLETE DEMOLITION OF JERUSALEM. 

wept there long before, foreknowing and foretelling 
the ruin which had now come to pass. And of his 
word, not one jot nor one tittle fell to the gronnd. All 
was accomplished. 

Thns fell, and for ever, the metropolis of the Jewish 
state. Other cities have arisen on the ruins of Jeru- 
salem, and succeeded, as it were, to the inalienable 
inheritance of perpetual siege, oppression, and ruin. 
Jerusalem might almost seem to be a place under a 
peculiar curse ; it has probably witnessed a far greater 
portion of human misery than any other spot upon the 
earth.''* 

Josephus justly observes, that no city had ever suf- 
fered so severely, nor had there ever been upon earth 
so aband-oned a race of men as those who then had 
possession of Jerusalem, and that their abominable ex- 
cesses compelled Titus to destroy the city.f In another 
place he says, "I cannot forbear speaking my mind, 
though the declaration fills me with regret, that if the 
Romans had any longer delayed coming against these 
wretched men, the city would either have been swallowed 
up by an earthquake, or overwhelmed by a deluge, or 
destroyed, like Sodom, by fire from heaven ; for it had 
produced a generation of men far more enormously 
wicked than they who suffered those calamities.'' J 
'^And indeed that was a time most fertile in all manner 
of wicked practices, insomuch that no kind of evil deeds 
was then left undone; nor could any one so much as 
devise any bad thing that was new, so deeply were they 
all infected, and strove v^ith one another in their single 
capacity and in their communities, who should run the 
greatest lengths in impiety towards God, and in unjust 

expelled the Jews from these fortifications, from which man could nevej 
have driven them." 

* Millman. f Jewish War, v. 10. + Ibid. xiii. 5. 



CLOSE OF THE JEWISH WAR. 



463 



actions towards their neighboiirs ; tlie men of power 
oppressing tlie multitude, and tlie multitude earnestly 
labouring to destroy the men of power/' * 

The capital being destroyed,, the conquest of the other 
parts of the country was effected without much difficulty. 
In the following year Lucilius Bassus was sent with an 
army into Judsea, to crush the remnant of the revolters 
who were still in arms. He then received orders from 
the emperor to sell the whole land of Judsea, which 
Vespasian had reserved for himself; and the Jews in all 
parts of the Roman empire were required to send to the 
capitol at Rome the didrachm, or half-shekel, which 
they had formerly paid yearly for the use of the temple 
at Jerusalem. The Jewish war terminated in a tragedy 
which displayed the same obstinate courage and self- 
devotion as marked its commencement. Flavins Silva, 
who succeeded Bassus, laid siege to the fortress of 
Masada, the only fortified place that still remained in 
the hands of the Sicarii. The genius of ancient fortifi- 
cation produced nothing more remarkable than this 
celebrated citadel. It was built by Jonathan Maccabseus, 
and afterwards strengthened and improved by Herod the 
Great. It stood near the western shore of the Dead 
Sea, on a height so steep and precipitous that the sim 
never reached the bottom of the surrounding defiles. 
Its outer wall was a mile round, with thirty-eight towers, 
each eighty feet high. Immense marble cisterns ; gra- 
naries like palaces, capable of holding provisions for 
years ; stores of arms and armour blazing in steel and 
gold, tastefully arranged in buildings of the stateliest 
Grecian architecture ; and defences of the most costly 
skill, at every commanding point of the interior, dis- 
played the kingly magnificence and martial pride of the 
most briUiant, daring, and successful monarch of Judaea, 



* Jewish War, vii, 8. 



464 



CLOSE OF THE JEWISH WAR. 



since Solomon. On the west side of this fortress, Silva 
raised a bank 200 cubits high^ and on this he built a 
platform of stone fifty cubits high^ which was surmounted 
by a moveable tower sixty cubits in height. The place 
was strong by nature^ and was defended with obstinate 
bravery. At lengthy the Romans having with gre?.t 
difficulty made a breach in the wall^ the besieged Jews 
betook themselves to the last resort of despair. 

Eleazar, the commander of the fortress, assembled his 
followers in the palace, and reminded them that the time 
was now come when they must vindicate the lofty prin- 
ciples of patriotism by which they were distinguished. 
God had evidently abandoned his people, and permitted 
the heathen to triumph. This was manifest from the 
fall of J erusalem, the ruin of the temple, and the failure 
of their present bold attempt. Still it was better to fall 
into the hands of God than of the Roman. Their wives 
were yet unviolated, their children yet free from cap- 
tivity, the badge of slavery had not yet been fastened 
upon them ; and Eleazar proposed that they should put 
the women and children to death, then set the city on 
fire, and offer up themselves a voluntary sacrifice to the 
cause of their bleeding and abandoned country. His 
men gazed on each other in speechless amazement. 
Some caught at once the enthusiasm of their leader; 
others thought of their wives and children, and tears 
were seen stealing down their liardy cheeks. Eleazar 
saw that they were wavering, and broke out in a higher 
and more impassioaed strain. He spoke of the immor- 
tality, the divinity of the soul; of its joyful escape from 
the imprisonment of mortality ; and its eternal repose 
in Abraham^s bosom. He appealed to their Jewish 
feelings, to the heroic deeds of their forefathers; and 
reminded them of the magnanimity of the Indians, who 
rega.rd life as a restraint, as a burden which they 



CLOSE OF THE JEWISH WAR. 465 

clieerfully throw off when it is required of tliem. Per- 
haps with still greater effect he dwelt on the licentious- 
ness and cruelty of the E/Omans^ on their treatment of 
the vanquished, the abuse of women, the captivity of 
children, and the murderous scenes in the amphi- 
theatres. "Let us die/' he exclaimed; "let us die 
unenslaved ; let us depart from life in freedom, with our 
wives and offspring. This our law enjoins, our country 
demands, our wives and children entreat. God himself 
has driven us to this stern necessity ; this, the "Romans 
dread above all things, lest we should disappoint them 
of their expected triumph. Let us deny them the gra- 
tification of seeing us enslaved ; and rather strike them 
with awe at our death, and with enforced admiration of 
our indomitable valour.-'^ He was interrupted by the 
unanimous acquiescence of the multitude, who declared 
themselves ready xo oegm on the instant the work of 
self-devotion. If the softer feelings of humanity for a 
moment agitated their breast, they had no longer power 
to control. They embraced their wives, kissed their 
children, wept over them tears of parental agony, and 
then, in the frenzy of desperation, stabbed them to the 
heart. Not a man shrunk from the murderous office ; 
though all seemed to think they should wrong the dead 
if they survived them many minutes. They hastily 
collected all their treasures into a heap, and burnt 
them to ashes. Then ten of the strongest men were 
selected as the common executioners; the rest, one 
after another, still clasping the Hfeless bodies of their 
wives and children;, held up their necks to the fatal 
blow. One of the ten was then chosen by lot to 
destroy the remaining nine ; who, having accomplished 
his task, seized a lighted brand, set fire to the royal 
palace, and then, with resolute and unflinching hand, 
drove the sword to his own heart. The Horaans 

S 



466 



CLOSE OF THE JEWISH WAR. 



entered the city early in the morning, and found it silent 
as the grave, on which they raised a shout of victory. 
After a time, two women and five children, who had con- 
cealed themselves in an aqueduct, made their appearance, 
and related to the victors the horrible transaction of the 
past night. The Romans, having partially extinguished 
the fire, made their way into the palace, and there beheld, 
not without admiration, this affecting spectacle of self- 
devotion. 



CHAPTER IX. 



State of Judsea subsequent to the Jewish War — Condition of the 
Jews during the Reigns of Domitian, Nerva, and Trajan — Their oppres- 
sion by Hadrian — Appearance of Barcochab, the Pretended Messiah, 
and General Revolt of the Jews — Their defeat by Julius Severus— 
Ruilding of .^lia Capitolina — Edict of Hadrian — Constantine the 
Great — Julian the Apostate — Inyasion of Palestine by Chosroes II. — 
Campaign of Heraclius — Conquest of Palestine by the Caliph Omar — 
By the Seljukian Turks — Account of the Crusades — Subjugation of 
Judsea by the Mamelukes — By the Othman Turks. 



The subjugation of Judsea was now complete. The 
country was portioned out to strangers ; the capital was 
destroyed — the temple demolished — the royal house 
almost extinct — and the high -priesthood buried beneath 
the ruins of the temple. The sceptre was departed from 
Judah ; the Hebrew empire had lost its centre of unity ; 
and never since has it been recognised as one of the states 
or kingdoms of the world. It might have been expected, 
from the desolating character of the great war mth Rome, 
that the people^ as well as the empire of the Jews^ would 
have fallen into utter dissolution ; or^ at least, have verged 
rapidly towards total extermination. Besides the loss of 
nearly a milhon and a-half of lives during the war, the 
markets of Eome were glutted with Jewish slaves ; the 



468 



STATE OF 3VDMA, ETC. 



amphitlieatres were crowded with Jewish captives, who 
were compelled to slay each other in troops for the diver- 
sion of their conquerors, or fell in rapid succession by the 
more expeditious cruelty of wild beasts ; while others were 
doomed to toil in unwholesome mines for that wealth which 
was not to be their own. Yet still this inexhaustible race 
revived and multiplied to furnish new candidates for its 
inalienable inheritance of detestation and misery. Like 
the palm-tree, the national emblem of Judsea, new scions 
sprang from the eternal stock ; and the blasts of winter 
served only to strengthen the common root, and fasten its 
fibres to the soil with a mere tenacious grasp. 

Of the state of Palestine immediately after the war, 
we have but little accurate information. It is uncer- 
tain how far the enormous loss of life, and the num- 
bers carried into captivity, had drained the population 
of the country ; or how far the rescript of Vespasian, 
which o£Fered the whole landed property of the pro- 
vince for sale, had introduced a race of foreign adven- 
turers. The probability is, either that the country 
Y/as not near exhausted, or that the reproduction in 
this still fertile region was extremely rapid ; since, 
in the time of Hadrian, the Jews were found in great 
numbers. Inr'eed, it must be remembered, that what- 
ever havoc was made by the sword of the conqueror, 
by distress, or by famine ; whatever the consumption 
of human life in the amphitheatre and the slave- 
market, yet the ravage of the war was, after all, by 
no means universal in the province. Galilee, Judaea, 
and great part of Idumsea were wasted, and, probably, 
almost depopulated; but excepting a few towns w^hich 
offered resistance, the populous regions and wealthy 
cities beyond the Jordan escaped the devastation. The 
dominions of King Agrippa were, for the most part, 



COXDITIOX GP THE JE'WS, ETC. 



469 



respected. Samaria submitted witliout resistance, as 
did most of the cities on tlie sea-coast. Many of the 
rich, and of tlie nobility fell off from their infatuated 
countrymen at the beginning, or during the coiu'se of 
the war^ and were permitted, by Titus, to take up theii' 
residence in the more ti'anquil parts of the country. 
Hence the remnant of the people who suryived the 
wi'eck of their institutions, the downfal of their priest- 
hood, and the extinction of their nationahty, must 
have been by no means inconsiderable. 

During the reign of Vespasian, and his immediate 
successors, the Jews were regarded with jealous watch- 
fulness. A garrison of 800 men occupied the ruins 
of Jerusalem, to prevent the reconstruction of the 
city and temple. Hegesippus relates, that Vespasian 
commanded strict search to be made for all who claimed 
descent fi'om the house of David — in order to cut off 
all hopes of the restoration of the royal house by the 
Messiah. This inquisition was continued in the reign 
of Domitian; nor did the rest of the nation escape 
the cruelties which desolated, the empire under the 
despotism of that sanguinary tyi'ant. The tax of two 
di-achms levied, according to the rescript of Vespasian, 
for the rebuilding the Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, 
("which,^'' a^ Gibbon observes, " by a remarkable coin- 
cidence, had been consumed by the flames of war about 
the same time with the Temple of Jerusalem,"^') was 
■exacted with unrelenting rigour ; and, if any denied 
their Judaism, , the most indecent means were used to 
ascertain the fact. 

Still it is doubtt'ul whether these persecutions, which, 
perhaps, vrere chiefly directed at the Judaizing Chiis- 
tians, oppressed the people very heavily in then.' native 
land. It is ditncult to conceive, unless communities 
•jere suffered to be formed, and the Jews enjoyed com- 



470 



THEIR OPPRESSION BY HADRIAN. 



parative security, how they could have appeared in the 
formidable attitude of resistance which they assumed 
in the time of Hadrian. The rabbinical traditions are 
full of the sufferings of the people during the reigns of 
Domitian, Nerva, and Trajan; but they are so moulded 
up with fable and evident exaggeration, that it is diffi- 
cult to distinguish any groundwork of truth. At the 
death of Trajan, (117 a. n.) Hadrian ascended the 
throne ; and it is not a matter of surprise that the new 
emperor should entertain no very favourable sentiments 
towards the Jews. He had been an eye-witness of the 
horrible massacre which had desolated the lovely island 
of Cyprus ; he had seen the voluptuous Idalian groves 
reeking with blood, or covered with the carnage of their 
inhabitants ; and had beheld the gay and splendid cities 
reduced to the silence of desolation. It is not improba- 
ble that the same mischiefs might seem to be brooding 
in Palestine. An edict, therefore, was issued tantamount 
to the total suppression of Judaism. It interdicted 
circumcision, the reading of the law, and the observ- 
ance of the Sabbath. This was followed by a measure, 
if possible, still more exasperating. The emperor 
announced his determination to annihilate at once all 
hopes of the restoration of the Holy City, by the esta- 
blishment of a Roman colony in Jerusalem, and the 
construction of a fane, dedicated to Jupiter, on the site 
of the fallen temple. The J ews looked on with dismay, 
with anguish, with secret thoughts of revenge, and at 
length with awakened hopes of deliverance. It was an 
oDinion deeply rooted in the hearts of the Israelitish 
nation, that in the darkest hour of their destiny, when 
the chosen race were at the extreme climax of degrada- 
tion and wretchedness, the arm of the Lord would be 
revealed, and the expected Messiah would make his 
sudden and glorious appearance. That hour was now 



APPEARANCE OF BARJOCHAB^ ETC. 471 

arrived. The degradation of Judali -^-as complete ; the 
seed of Abraham were crushed and oppressed to the 
uttermost; they were sounding the lowest depths of 
their misery ; and^ by the prohibition of tieir distinctive 
ritCj the very race was in danger of becoming extinct. 
Just at this eventiul period it was announced that the 
Messiah had made his appearance ; that he was come 
in power and in glory ; and his name fulfilled the great 
prophecy of Balaam. Barcochab was that star which 
was to arise out of Jacob. Wonders attended upon 
his person ; he breathed flames from his month_, which, 
no doubt^ would burn up the strength of the oppressor, 
and wither the armies of the Eoman. Rabbi Aldba, 
then in the zenith of liis fame^ who was looked up to 
with profound homage by thousands of admiring disci- 
ples^ acknowledged the claims of this new Messiah, 
and openly attached himself to his interest. " Behold/^ 
exclaimed the hoary enthusiast^ behold the Star that 
is come ont of Jacob ; the days of the redemption are 
ftt hand.'' 

The whole Jewish race were now in commotion^ and 
speedily broke out into bold and open rebellion. Bar- 
cochab found himself at the head of 200;000 followers. 
His first expedition was to make himself master of 
Jerusalem, of the rude town which had grown up amid 
the wreck and desolation. Here he unfui'led his ban- 
ner, and vast numbers rallied around him, actuated by 
an enthusiasm as frantic and futile as that which had 
laid their city and temple in ashes. Barcochab openly 
assumed the title of king, and is said to have issued 

* Bar-cocliab, the Son of a Star, afterwards changed by his dis- 
appointed countrymen into Barcosha, the Son of a Lie. The real 
name and origin of this arch-impostor is unknown. He is said to 
have been a robber, and had learned, probably from the Egyptians, the 
juggler's trick of keeping lighted tow or straw in his mouth; which 
led his credulous followers to imagine that he breathed flames of fire. 



472 SUPPRESSION OF THE REVOLT, ETC. 

coins bearing his superscription, and with the year of 
*^Jie freedom of Jerusalem as the date.* He prudently 
\^oided a battle in the open field, and pursued a deli- 
berate system of defensive warfare. On the arrival of the 
famous Julius Severus to take the command, he found 
the Jews in possession of fifty of the strongest fortresses 
and 985 unwalled towns. The Romans experienced 
considerable losses, and were opposed with obstinate 
valour ; but, at length, the discipline of the troops and 
the consummate generalship of Severus, brought the 
war nearly to a close. The strong city of Either f alone 
remained in the hands of the insurgents. This also 
was stormed and taken, Barcochab was slain, and his 
head carried in triumph to the Roman camp. Great 
multitudes of his followers were put to the sword, and 
the remainder scattered. Hadrian, to annihilate for 
ever all hopes of the restoration of the Jewish kingdom, 
accomplished his plan of founding a new city on the 
site of Jerusalem, and planting a E^oman colony there ; 
thus decreeing the disinheritance of the Jew, the per- 
petual alienation of the soil, and its legal appropriation 
to a foreign foe. The city was called Miia Capitolina; 
^lia after the prsenomen of the emperor, (^lius 
Hadrian,) and Capitolina to intimate its dedication to 
the Jupiter of the capitol. An edict was issued prohibit- 
ing any Jew from entering the new city, under pain of 
death, or even approaching its environs within three miles ; 
so as to contemplate at a distance that which he regarded 
as the dearest spot upon earth. More efi'ectually to keep 
them away, the image of a hog in marble was placed 

* Tytf^sen and others have concluded, from extant coins, that Bar* 
cocJ»^* .as in possession of .Jerusalem for three years; if so, it was 
from 132 to 135 a.d. The coins, however, are of very doubtful date 
and authority. 

The precise situation of this city is not known. It is placed by 
"Eusebius near Beth-horon ; by others, near the sea-coast. 



CONSTANTINE JULIAN THE APOSTATE. 473 

over the gate leading to Bethleliein. The more peace- 
ful Christians were permitted to establish themselves 
within the walls, and ^Elia became the seat of a 
flourishing church and bishopric. * It remained in this 
state, inhabited chiefly by Christians and Pagans, till the 
time of Constantino the Great; who, (323 a. d.,) having 
made Christianity the religion of the empire, set himself 
to improve it, adorned it with many costly edifices and 
churches, and restored its ancient name, which, from 
tlie disuse of two centuries, was almost unknown by the 
inhabitants of Palestine itself. 

About thirty-five years afterwards, J ulian the Apos- 
tate, not from any love he bore the Jews, but out of 
hatred to the Christians, whose faith he had abjured, 
and with the avowed design of defeating the prophecies 
which declared that the temple should not be rebuilt 
till the times of the Gentiles were fulfilled, wrote to the 
Jews a conciliatory epistle, denounced their oppressors, 
repealed the unequal taxes with which they were loaded, 
invited them back to their city, and promised to restore 
their temple and nation. Materials were accumulated 
from all quarters, and great numbers of workmen were 
employed to clear the foundations. The work was 
commenced; already had they dug to a considerable 
depth, and were preparing to lay the foundations of the 
new edifice, when balls of fire came bursting from the 
centre of the hill, accompanied by terrific explosions. 
The affrighted workmen fled on all sides, and the work 
was suspended at once by this unforeseen and appalling 
sign. Other phenomena are said to have accompanied 
this event. An earthquake shook the hill from iU 
circumference to its centre, from its summit to its ver) 
base; flakes of fire, which took the form of crosses, 
settled on the dresses of the workmen and spectators ^ 

* History of the Jews, pp. 91 — 124. 



474 INVASION BY CHOSROES 11.^ ETC. 

and even the tools of iron were consumed by preter- 
natural fire. It is even added that a mysterious horse- 
man was seen careering among the flames; and that 
the workmen having fled to a neighbouring church, its 
doors, fastened from within by some unseen force, 
refused them admittance. These, however, are evi- 
dently embellishments, and are found only in later and 
rhetorical writers ; but the main fact of the interruption 
of the work by some extraordinary and, to all appear- 
ance, superhuman interference, rests upon testimony, 
clear, credible, and conclusive. It is attested by 
Ammianus MarcelHnus, a heathen, and a personal 
friend of Julian ; by Zemuch David, a Jew ; by Nazian- 
zen, Chrysostom, Ambrose Ruffinus, Theodoret, Sozo- 
men, and Socrates, who wrote his account within fifty 
years after the transaction, and while many eye-wit- 
nesses of it were still living. So stubborn, indeed, is 
the proof of this miracle, that even Gibbon, who strives 
to invalidate it, is compelled to acknowledge the 
general fact. 

Early in the seventh century, Palestine was invaded 
by Chosroes II., king of Persia ; Jerusalem was taken 
and plundered, and many thousands of the Christian 
inhabitants killed or sold for slaves. The Persians, 
however did not hold it long. The Emperor Heraclius, 
who seemed to shunber on the throne of Byzantium, 
like another Sardanapalus, suddenly burst the bonds of 
sloth and pleasure, and, after a few campaigns, routed 
his antagonist, restored Jerusalem to the Christians, 
and reenacted the statute of Hadrian, which prohibited 
the Jews from approaching within three miles of it — 
a law which in the present exasperated state of the 
Christians, was, perhaps, a measure of mercy, rather 
than oppression. About this time the Mohammedan 
imposture arose ; and the fanatics who had adopted its 
creed, carried their arms and their religion with unpre- 



CONQUEST BY THE CALIPH OMAR^ ETC. 475 

cedented rapidity over the greater part of tlie East, 
The Caliph Omar, the third from Mohammed, invaded 
Syria and Palestine ; he invested the Holy City, which, 
after once more suffering the horrors of a protracted 
siege, surrendered on terms of capitulation in the 
year 637 a. d. 

Omar, to his credit be it recorded, set an example on 
this occasion which it had been well if the European 
zealots of the 12th century had copied. He religiously 
observed the terms of the treaty, permitted to the Chris- 
tians the use of their churches, and only requested to be 
shown a place where he might build a mosque ; when, 
as if by another interposition of Providence, that the 
^ abomination of desolation' might be complete, the patri- 
arch showed him the site of the temple, which, out of 
hatred to the Jews, the Christians had used as a recep- 
tacle for the filth of the town. This Omar ordered to 
be cleared away, and erected on the spot the mosque 
which bears his name — one of the most magnificent 
specimens of Saracenic architecture, and which is stand- 
ing at the present day. (See p. 287.) 

Palestine was held by the original or Arabian Saracens 
until their power being weakened by the division of their 
vast empire into a number of petty sovereignties, it was 
finally subverted, at least all to the north of Egypt and 
Arabia, by the Seljukiaii Turks; who, from Tartary, 
gradually spread themselves over the same ground which 
the Saracens had conquered 400 years before. Jerusa- 
lem, with the rest of Judsea, fell an easy prey ; but soon 
again passed into the hands of the Saracens of Egypt, 
whose caliph, taking advantage of some disunion among 
the Turks, expelled them from Judsea, but was soon after 
expelled himself by the most extraordinary set of adven- 
turers the world ever saw. There are few periods of its 
history in which Palestine has been more grievously 



476 



ACCOUNT OF THE CRUSADES. 



torn and desolated than during the wars of the Crusades. 
These expeditions commenced in the year 1096 a. d. 
They originated in a superstitious veneiation for those 
places where our Saviour lived and laboured, and 
where he accomplished the mysteries of man^s redemp- 
tion ; and were undertaken with the avowed design 
of recovering the Holy Land from the power of the 
Turks. The Saracen caliphs had allowed the Christian 
pilgrims to visit the Holy Sepulchre and other sacred 
places on payment of a small tribute ; but the Turks, 
being much more fierce and barbarous, often annoyed 
them, and the pilgrimage could no longer be performed 
with the same degree of safety. An opinion was 
about this time prevalent in Europe, which made these 
pilgrimages much more frequent than formerly. It 
was imagined that the 1000 years mentioned in the 
Apocalypse (Hev. xx.) were almost expired ; that Christ 
was shortly to make his appearance in Palestine, and 
set up his kingdom there ; and, consequently, that 
pilgrimages to that country were in the highest degree 
meritorious. The multitudes of Christians who now 
flocked to Palestine, meeting with much annoyance 
from the Turks, filled all Europe with complaints 
against those infidels who profaned the Holy City, 
and derided the sacred mysteries of Christianity even 
in the place where they had been accomplished. Pope 
Gregory VII. had conceived the design of uniting 
all the princes of Christendom against the Moham- 
medans; but his exorbitant encroachments on the 
civil power of princes had created him so many ene- 
mies, and rendered his schemes so suspicious, that he 
was unable to make great progress in his enterprise. 
The work was reserved for a meaner instrument. 
Peter, commonly called the Hermit, a native of Amiens 
in Picardy, had made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem 



ACCOUNT OF THE CRUSADES. 



477 



and being deeply affected by the dangers to which 
that act of piety was now exposed_, as well as the 
oppression under which the eastern Christians now 
groaned^ formed the bold and^ apparently, imprac- 
ticable design of leading into Asia, from the farthest 
extremities of the west, armies sufficient to subdue 
those potent and warlike tribes that now held the Holy 
Land in subjection. He proposed his scheme to Pope 
Martin II., who, prudently resolving not to commit him- 
self to it till he saw a probability of success, summoned, 
at Placentia, a council of 4000 ecclesiastics and 30,000 
seculars. As no building could be found large enough 
to contain such a multitude, the assembly was held in 
a plain. The pope himself, as well as Peter, eloquently 
harangued the people, representing the distressed situa- 
tion of their brethren in the east, and the indignity 
offered to the Christian religion by allowing the Holy 
City to remain in the hands of the infidels. These 
appeals produced such a powerful impression on the 
audience that the whole multitude suddenly and violently 
declared for the war, and solemnly devoted themselves to 
the holy enterprise. But, though Italy seemed to have 
embraced the design with ardour, the pope thought it 
necessary, in order to ensure success, to engage the 
cooperation of the greater and more warlike nations. 
Having, therefore, instructed Peter to visit the chief cities 
and sovereigns of Christendom, he summoned another 
council at Clermont in Auvergne. The fame of this great 
project being now universally diffused, procured the 
attendance of the greatest prelates, princes, and nobles; 
and when the Pope and the Hermit renewed their pathetic 
exhortations, the whole assembly, as if actuated by a 
simultaneous impulse, exclaimed with one voice, and with 
enthusiastic ardour, " It is the will of God ; it is the will 
of God." This expression was afterwards employed as 



47B 



ACCOUNT OF THE CRUSADES. 



the signal of rendezvous and of battle in the exploits of 
these adventurers. Men of all ranks now flew to arms 
with the utmost ardour, and a cross- — emblematic of this 
holy enterprise — was affixed to the right shoulder of all 
who engaged in it. At this time Europe was sunk into 
the most profound depths of ignorance and superstition. 
The ecclesiastics had gained an unbounded ascendancy- 
over the public mind ; and the people, who were steeped 
in sensuality and vice, and committed the most abominable 
crimes, knew of no other expiation than the penances and 
duties imposed upon them by their clerical superiors. 
But, amidst the abject superstition and prostration of 
intellect which now prevailed, the military spirit had 
universally diffused itself ; and, though not sustained by 
art or discipline, was become the general passion of the 
nations governed by the feudal law. All the great lords 
and barons possessed the right of peace and war, and 
exacted at pleasure military service of their serfs and 
dependents. They were engaged in continual hostilities 
with one another; the country was the scene of unbridled 
outrage and disorder; the cities, ill-built and impoverish- 
ed, were neither guarded by walls nor protected by an 
adequate civic power. Every man was obliged to depend 
for safety on his own, forces, or his private alliances ; and 
valour was the only attribute held in esteem, or which 
gave one man a preeminence above another. When all 
the wild passions and superstitions of the people, there- 
fore, were here united in one great object, the ardour for 
private hostilities took the same direction, and flowed 
onward in one turbulent and impetuous channel. " All 
Europe,^' as the princess Anna Comnena expresses it, 
torn from its foundations, seemed ready to precipitate 
itself in one united body upon Asia.^^ All ranks of men 
now deeming the crusades the only road to heaven, were 
impatient to open the way with their swords to the Holy 



ACCOUNT OP THE CRUSADES. 



479 



City. Princes, nobles, artisans, peasants, and even priests, 
enrolled their names ; and to decline this service was to be 
branded with the reproach of impiety or cowardice. The 
nobles were moved by the romantic spirit of the age, and 
by the hope of securing opulent establishments in the 
East, which at that time was the chief seat of the arts and 
the emporium of commerce. In pursuit of these chime- 
rical projects, t^iCy sold at low prices their ancient castles 
and inheritances ; the infirm and aged contributed to the 
expedition by presents and money; and many of them 
attended it in person, anxious to breathe their last within 
sight of that hallowed spot w^here their Saviour bled and 
died. Even women, concealing their sex under the 
disguise of armour, attended the camp, and often violated 
the rules of propriety by prostituting themselves to the army. 
The greatest criminals volunteered in a service which they 
considered as an expiation of all crimes; and the most 
enormous disorders were committed, during the course of 
these expeditions, by men inured to rapine, encouraged by 
example, and unrestrained by authority. These wild ad- 
venturers were so numerous, that their sagacious leaders 
became apprehensive that the magnitude of the armament 
would be the cause of its defeat. They, therefore, per- 
mitted an undisciplined horde, computed at about 300,000 
men, to go before them, under the command of Peter the 
Hermit and Walter the Pennyless,* and the appropriate 
guidance of a goose and a goat. These took the road to- 
wards Constantinople by way of Hungary and Bulgaria ; 
and trusting that Heaven would miraculously supply their 
wants, they made no provision for subsistence on their 
march. They soon found themselves compelled to obtain 
by plunder what they vainly expected from miracles ; and 
the enraged inhabitants of the countries through which 
they passed, provoked by their depredations, attacked the 

* So named from his being a soldier of fi>rtune, 



480 



ACCOUNT OP THE CRUSADES. 



disorderly multitude, and slaughtered them without mercy. 
The more disciplined armies followed after ; and, passing 
the straits of Constantinople, were mustered in the plains 
of Asia, and found to amount to 700,000 men. 

The princes engaged in this first crusade were, Hugo, 
Count of Vermandois, brother to Phihp I., King of 
France; Robert, Duke of Normandy; Robert, Earl of 
Flanders; Raimond, Earl of Toulouse and St. Giles; 
the celebrated Godfrey of Bouillon, Duke of Lorrain, 
with his brothers Baldwin and Eustace ; Stephen, Earl of 
Chartres and Blois; Hugo, Count of St. Paul; with 
many other lords. The general rendezvous was at Con- 
stantinople. In this expedition, Godfrey besieged and 
took the city of Nice. Jerusalem was taken by the 
confederated army, and Godfi-ey chosen king. The Chris- 
tians gained the famous battle of Ascalon, against the 
Sultan of Egypt, which put an end to the first crusade, 
but not to the spirit of crusading. The rage continued 
for near two centuries. The second crusade, in 1144, 
was headed by the Emperor Conrade III., and Louis 
VII., King of France. The emperor^s army was either 
destroyed by the enemy, or perished through the treach- 
ery of Manuel, the Greek emperor; and the second 
army, through the unfaithfulness of the Christians of 
Syria, was forced to break up the siege of Damascus. 
The third crusade, in 1188, immediately followed the 
taking of Jerusalem by Saladin, the Sultan of Egypt. 
The princes engaged in this expedition were, the Emperor 
Frederic Barbarossa; Frederic, Duke of Suabia, his 
second son ; Leopold, Duke of Austria ; Berthold, Duke 
of Moravia; Herman, Marquess of Baden ; the Counts of 
Nassau, Thuringia, Missen, and Holland; and above 
sixty other princes of the empire ; with the Bishops of 
Besanpon, Cambray, Munster, Osnaburgh, Missen, Pa/?- 
sau, Visburg, and several others. In this expedition the 



ACCOUNT OF THE CRtJSADES. 48 J 

Errperor Prederic defeated the Sultan of Iconium ; his 
son Frederic, joined by Gny Lusignan, King of Jeru- 
salem, in vain endeavoured to take Acre or Ptolemais. 
During- these transactions, Philip Augustus, King of 
France, and Hichard I., King of England, joined the 
'T'usade; by which means the Christian army consisted 
01 300,000 fighting men ; but great disputes happening 
L.tween the kings of France and England, the former 
I 1 itted the Holy Land, and Richard concluded a peace 
mth. Saladin. The fourth crusade was undertaken in 
1195, by the Emperor Henry VI., after Saladin's death. 
In this expedition the Christians gained several battles 
against the infidels, took a great many towns, and were in 
the way of success, when the death of the emperor obliged 
them to quit the Holy Land, and return into Germany. 
The fifth crusade was published by Pope Innocent III., 
in 1198. Those engaged in it made fruitless efi'orts for 
the recovery of the Holy Land; for, though John de 
Neule, who commanded the fleet equipped in Flanders, 
arrived at Ptolemais a little after Simon of Montfort, 
Renard of Dampierre, and others, yet the plague destroy- 
ing many of them, and the rest, either returning , or 
engaging in the petty quarrels of the Christian princes, 
there was nothing done ; so that the sultan of Aleppo 
easily defeated their troops in 1204. The sixth crusade 
began in 1228 ; in which the Christians took the town of 
Damietta, but were forced to surrender it again. In 1229, 
the Emperor Frederic made peace with the sultan for ten 
years. About 1240, Richard, Earl of Cornwall, brother 
to Henry III., king of England, arrived in Palestine, at 
the head of the English crusade; but, finding it most 
advantageous to conclude a peace, he reembai'ked, and 
steered towards Italy. In 1244, the Karasmians being 
I driven out of Turkey by the Tartars, broke into Palestine, 
and gave the Christians a general defeat near Gaza. The 

S Q 



483 



ACCOUNT OF THE CRUSADES. 



seventh crusade was headed, in 1249, by St. Louis, who 
took the town of Damietta ; but a sickness happening in 
the Christian army, the king endeavoured a retreat; in 
which, being pursued by the infidels, most of his army 
were miserably butchered, and himself and the nobility 
taken prisoners. A truce was agreed upon for ten years, 
and the king and lords set at liberty. The eighth crusade, 
in 1279, was headed by the same prince, who made him- 
self master of the port and castle of Carthage, in Africa; 
but, dying a short time after, he left his army in a very 
ill condition. Soon after, the king of Sicily coming up 
with a good fleet, and joining Philip the Bold, son and 
successor of Louis, the king of Tunis, after several 
engagements with the Christians, in which he was always 
worsted, desired peace, which was granted upon conditions 
advantageous to the Christians ; after which, both princes 
embarked to their own kingdoms. Prince Edward, of 
England, who arrived at Tunis at the time of this treaty, 
sailed towards Ptolemais, where he landed a small body of 
300 English and French, and hindered Bendochar from 
laying siege to Ptolemais : but being obliged to return to 
take possession of the crown of England, this crusade 
ended without contributing anything to the recovery of 
the Holy Land. In 1291, the town of Acre or Ptolemais 
was taken and plundered by the sultan of Egypt, and the 
Christians quite driven out of Syria. There has been no 
crusade since that period, though several popes have 
attempted to stir up the Christians to such an under- 
taking; particularly Nicholas IV., in 1292, and Clement 
v., in 1311. 

Though these crusades were effects of the most absurd 
superstition, they tended greatly to promote the good of 
Europe. Multitudes, indeed, were destroyed. M. Voltaire 
computes the people who perished in the different expedi- 
tions, at upwards of two millions. Many there were. 



ACCOUNT OF THE CRUSADES. 



483 



however, who returned : and these having conversed so 
long with people who lived in a much more magnificent 
way than themselves, began to entertain some taste for a 
refined and polished way of life. Thus the barbarism in 
which Europe had been so long immersed, began to wear 
, off soon after. The princes, also, who remained at home, 
found means to avail themselves of the frenzy of the 
people. By the absence of such numbers of restless and 
martial adventurers, peace was established in their domi- 
nions. They also took the opportunity of annexing to 
their crowns many considerable fiefs, either by purchase or 
the extinction of the heirs ; and thus the mischiefs which 
must always attend feudal governments were considerably 
mitigated. With regard to the bad success of the 
Crusaders, it was scarcely possible that any other thing 
could happen to them. The emperors of Constantinople, 
instead of assisting, did all in their power to disconcert 
their schemes ; they were jealous, and not without reason, 
of such an inundation of barbarians. Yet, had they con- 
sidered their true interests, they would rather have assisted 
them, or at least stood neutral, than enter into alliances 
with the Turks. They followed the latter method, how- 
ever, and were often of very great disservice to the western 
adventurers, which at last occasioned the loss of their city. 
But the worst enemies the Crusaders had were their own 
internal feuds and dissensions. They neither could agree 
while marching together in armies with a view to conquest, 
nor could they unite their conquests under one govern- 
ment after they had made them. They set up three small 
states, one at Jerusalem, another at Antioch, and another 
at Edessa. These states, instead of assisting, made war 
upon each other, and on the Greek emperors ; and thus 
became an easy prey to the common enemy. The horrid 
cruelties they committed, too, must have inspired the 
Turks with the most invincible hatred against them and 



484 



ACCOUNT OF THE CRUSADES. 



made them resist with the greatest obstinacy. Thej 
were such as could have been committed only by bar- 
barians inflamed with the most bigoted enthusiasm. 
When Jerusalem was taken^ not only the numerous 
garrison were put to the sword, but the inhabitants 
were massacred without mercy and without distinction. 
No age or sex was spared^ not even sucking children. 
According to Voltaire, some Christians, who had been 
suffered by the Turks to live in that city, led the 
conquerors into the most private caves, where women 
had concealed themselves with their children, and not 
one of them was suffered to escape. What eminently 
shows the enthusiasm by which these conquerors were 
animated, is their behaviour after this terrible slaughter. 
They marched over heaps of dead bodies towards the 
Holy Sepulchre, and, while their hands were polluted 
with the blood of so many innocent persons, sang 
anthems to the common Saviour of mankind ! Nay, 
so far did their religious enthusiasm overcome their 
fury, that these ferocious conquerors now burst intc 
tears. If the absurdity and wickedness of their con- 
duct can be exceeded by any thing, it must be by wha1 
foEows. In 1204, the frenzy of crusading seized the 
children, who are ever ready to imitate what they see 
their parents engaged in. Their childish folly was 
encouraged by the monks and schoolmasters; and 
thousands of those innocents" were conducted from the 
houses of their parents, on the superstitious interpreta- 
tion of these words : — " Out of the mouths of babes 
and sucklings hast thou perfected praise." Theu' base 
conductors sold a part of them to the Turks, and the 
rest perished miserably.* 

The Crusaders held possession of Judsea about ninety 

* For further information concerning these extraordinary adventures, 
3ee Hume's History of England, vol. i. p. 292,, seq., and vol. ii. p. 
280 ; Encyclopsedia Britannica ; Mosheim's Ecclesiastical History ; 
and Buck's Theological Dictionary. 



SUBJUGrATION OF JUD.35A BY THE TURKS. 485 

years ; i.e. from 1099 to 1188. During this brief period^ 
thej appear to have made good use of their time, as 
besides the king and his com-t^ and the regular church 
estabhshment — consisting of a patriarchy the archbishops 
of Tyre^ Csesarea^ Nazareth_, and Kerek, or Krak ; tlie 
bishops of Lydda^ Hebron, Berith_, Sidon, Paneas, Ptolc- 
mais, Sebaste,, Tiberias, Jaffa, St. George, and Mount 
Sinai, — we find priories, abbeys, convents, and nunneries, 
of different orders, almost out of number. These different 
religious establishments were in possession of extensive 
lands, castles, and towns ; and some idea may be formed 
of their princely wealth from the number of troops which 
they furnished for the use of this short-lived state, which 
amounted to 7000. But all this regal and ecclesiastical 
parade was cut short by Saladin, the victorious sultan of 
Egypt, who expelled the Christians, and annexed Judsea 
to his empii'e. It was held by his successors about fifty 
years ; when, together with Egypt, it was wrested from 
them by their foreign slaves and soldiers, the Mamelukes, 
(1250 A.D.,) who had risen on their masters, usurped the 
government, and appointed a sultan of their own. Under 
the despotic rule of these barbarians, Judsea remained 
about 260 years ; when (1517 a.d.) the Mamelukes were 
reduced by the Turkish emperor, who hanged their last 
sultan, took possession of the country, and annexed it as 
a province to the Ottoman empire, as it had formerly been 
to the Roman. From that time to the present it has 
remained subject to the Ottoman Porte — a prey to the 
bigotiy, tyranny, and barbarous policy of that nation, and 
fulfilling in an astonishing manner the prediction of our 
Saviour, which declared that it should be trodden down 
of the Gentiles tiU the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." 

The state of Palestine under the despotism of its present 
rulers is wretched in the extreme. The light of science is 
shut out by a thick film of popular iguorance, and by a 
bhnd and bigoted adherence to the opinions and usages 



486 PRESENT CONDITION OF PALESTINE, 

of antiquity. The noblest attributes of hnmanity are 
cramped and fettered by the bonds of a degrading vassal- 
age. Religion — if such a use of the term be not a de- 
secration — is made the instrument of oppression, the 
source of mutual hatred, or is hidden under the forms of 
a dark and meaningless superstition. Every stimulus 
to industry and commercial enterprise is withdrawn; 
and, such is the avarice and insane policy of the pashas, 
that the only security of the people is in extreme 
poverty, in possessing nothing to excite the cupidity 
of their rulers. The land lies uncultivated, the cities 
are in ruins ; the most fertile and productive region* 
present the appearance of deserts on which has lighted 
the curse of an avenging Deity. The people, chained 
down to interminable toil on another^s land, and no 
longer animated by the hope of independence, have 
sunk into a state of morbid apathy; all the energies 
of mind and character are enervated by the narcotic 
influence of despair; the social system evinces all the 
symptoms of paralysis, and the life-blood of the country 
is drained almost to exhaustion. " It is the misfortune 
of the Turkish government,^^ says Mr. Burckhardt, 
" at least in its present decayed state, that popular 
virtues in the persons of its governors are quite in- 
compatible with the views of the Porte. The Porte 
demands supplies, and nothing but supplies; and the 
pasha, to satisfy her, must press upon the industry of 
his subjects. He who is the well-wisher of his people, 
who contents himself with the ordinary revenue, and 
who allows justice to preside in his councils, will un- 
doubtedly incur his sovereign's displeasure ; not because 
he is just, but because his justice prevents him from 
plundering, and transmitting a portion of the acquired 
plunder to the Divan. To save his existence, he has no- 
thing left but silently to resign his unhappy subjects to 
the rod of a succeeding despot, or to declare himself a 



PRESENT CONDITION OF PALESTINE. 487 

rebel, and to contend with his rival; until the Porte, 
convinced of tlie difficulty of deposing him, patiently waits 
for a more favourable opportunity of effecting her pur- 
poses. These principles are applicable to all persons in 
office, from the pasha down to the sheikh of the smallest 
village.^-' Under such an execrable system as this no 
country can flourish, however favoured by nature. To 
this cause, and not to the infertility of the soil, must be 
attributed the barrenness and desolation which Palestine 
at present exhibits. Its present inhabitants consist of a 
mixed population of Turks, Sj^rians, Arabs ; Latin, Greek, 
and Armenian Christians ; Copts, Druses, and Jews. Of 
these the poor Jews form but a small proportion, and 
live in obscurity and retirement : compelled to use every 
art to escape the tyranny and rapacity of their ferocious 
rulers. A very feehng description of the present con- 
dition of this people is given by that observant and in- 
telligent traveller. Dr. Richardson : — 

"Many of the Jews,^^ he observes, "are rich and in 
comfortable circumstances, and possess a good deal of pro- 
perty in J erusalem ; but they are careful to conceal their 
wealth, and even their comfort, from the jealous eye of 
their rulers, lest, by awakening their cupidity, some vile 
indefensible plot should be devised to their prejudice. In 
going to visit a respectable Jew in the Holy City, it is a 
common thing to pass to his house over a ruined foreground 
and up an awkward outside stair, constructed of rough un- 
polished stones, that totter under the foot ; but it improves 
as you ascend, and at the top has a respectable appearance, 
as it ends in an agreeable platform in front of the house. 
On entering the house itself, it is found to be clean and 
well furnished ; the sofas are covered with Persian carpets ; 
and the people seem happy to receive you. The visiter is 
entertained with coffee and tobacco, as is the custom in the 
houses of the Turks and Christians. The ladies presented 



488 PRESENT COxVDITlON OF PALESTINE. 

themselves with an ease and an address that surprised 
me^ and recalled to my memory the pleasing society of 
Europe. This difference of manner arises from many ot 
the Jewish families in Jerusalem having resided in Spain 
or Portugal, where the females had rid themselves of the 
cruel domestic fetters of the East ; and, on returning to 
their beloved land, had very properly maintained their 
^ustly acquired freedom and rank in society. They 
almost all speak a broken Italian, so that conversation 
goes on without the clumsy aid of an interpreter. 

It was the feast of the Passover, and they were all 
eating unleavened bread ; some of which was presented 
to me as a curiosity, and I partook of it merely that I 
might have the gratification of eating unleavened bread 
with the sons and daughters of Jacob in Jerusalem : 
it is very insipid fare, and no one would eat it from 
choice. For the same reason I went to the synagogue, 
of which there are two in Jerusalem, although I visited 
only one. The form of worship is the same as in this 
country, and I believe in every country which the Jews 
inhabit. The females have a separate part of the 
synagogue assigned to them, as in the synagogues in 
Europe, and in the Christian churches all over the 
Levant. They are not, however, expected to be fre- 
quent or regular in their attendance on public worship. 
The ladies generally make - a point of going on the 
Sabbath, that is, the Friday night or Saturday morning, 
after they are married; and, being thus introduced 
in their new capacity, once a year is considered as 
sufficient compliance, on their part, with the ancient 
injunction to assemble themselves together in the house 
of prayer. Like the votaries of some Christian esta- 
blishments, the Jewesses trust more to the prayers 
of their priests than their own. 

The synagogues in Jerusalem are both poor and 




STREET VIEW IN MODERN JERUSALEM, (p. 489.) 



PRESENT COXDITIOX OF PALESTINE. 



489 



smallj not owing to the porerty of tlieir possessors, "but 
to the prudential motives above-mentioned. 

The Jewesses in Jerusalem speak in a decided and 
hi'm tone, unlihe the hesitating and timid voice of the 
Arab and Tm^kish females; and claim the European 
privilege of differing fi'om their husbands, and maintain- 
ing theii' own opinions. They are fail' and good-looking : 
red and aubium hair are by no means uncommon in 
either of the sexes. I never saw any of them vrith 
veils : and was informed that it is the general practice 
of the Jewesses in Jerusalem to go with theii' faces un- 
covered : they ai'e the only females there who do so. 
Generally speaking, I think they are disposed to be 
rather of a plethoric habit ; and the admii'ers of size and 
softness in the fail' sex, will find as regularly well-built 
fatties, with double mouldings in the neck and chin, 
among the fair daughters of J erusalem, as among the 
fairer daughters of England. They seem pai'ticularly 
liable to eiiiptive diseases ; and the want of childi'en is 
as c^xeat a heart-break to them now as it was in the davs 
of Sai'ah. 

In passing up to the synagogue, I was particularly 
sti'uck with the mean and wi'etched appearance of the 
houses on both sides of the streets, as well as with the 
poverty of theii' inhabitants. Some of the old men and 
old women had more withered and hungiy aspects than 
any of oui' race I ever saw, with the exception of the 
caverned dames at Gornou, in Egyptian Thebes, who 
might have sat in a stony field as a pictui-e of famine the 
yeai' after the Flood. The sight of a poor Jew in Jeru- 
salem has in it something peculiarly affecting. The 
heart of this wonderfid people, in whatever cHme they 
roam, still turns to it as the city of theii' promised rest. 
They take pleasm'e in her ruins, and would lick the very 
dust for her sake. Jerusalem is the centre around 

3 R 



490 PRESENT CONDITION OF PALESTINE. 



wHcli the exiled sons of Judah buiid^ in airy dreams, 
the mansions of their future greatness. In whatever 
part of the world he may hve^ the heart's desire of a 
Jew, is to be buried in Jerusalem, when gathered to 
his fathers. Thither they return from Spain and Por- 
tugal, from Egypt and Barbary, and other countries 
among which they have been scattered ; and when, after 
all their longings, and all their struggles up the steeps 
of life, we see them poor, and blind, and naked in the 
streets of their once happy Zion, he must have a cold 
heart that can remain untouched by their sufferings, 
without uttering a prayer that the Hght of a reconciled 
countenance would shine on the darkness of Judah, and 
the day-star of Bethlehem arise in their hearts.^' 

The day is rapidly approaching when that auspicious 
event shall be realized ; when the iron arm of oppression 
that now governs Judaea shall be broken, and the right- 
ful heritors of the soil be reinstated in their paternal 
habitations. The \iolent convulsions that have recently 
agitated the East are symptomatic of an approaching 
crisis. The heavings of the great river Euphrates be- 
token a gathering storm ; the pangs and throes which 
are tearing the heart of the Turkish empire, announce 
that its dissolution is near at hand. The Ottoman 
power is tottering and trembling to its very base, and 
its speedy overthrow will be the prelude to a series of 
events, of conflicts and commotions among the nations 
of the earth, which will terminate in the downfal of 
Antichrist, the emancipation of Judaea from the thraldom 
of a foreign yoke, and the dawn of a brighter and more 
glorious epoch in the History of the Holy Land, 



A SURVEY OF THE HOLY LAND, 



PART III. 



ITS DESTINY. 




ITHEHTO we have seen tlie 
Land of Immanuel groaning 
beneath the curse, and its 
rightful inhabitants — those to 
whom it was ceded by an ab- 
solute and irreversible co- 
venant — aliens and outcasts 
from the land of their fathers^ 
"scattered and peeled^^ — "smit- 
ten with madness, and blind- 
ness, and astonishment of 
heart — and "left few in num- 
ber among the heathen.^^ Hath God 
then cast away his people? Have Israel stumbled 
that they should fall? Is Ichabod written indelibly 
on the ruins and desolations of Judah ? Has the Divine 
faithfulness failed? Is the covenant with Abraham 
annulled, and the chosen race cast oflP for ever ? God 



492 



PALESTINE. 



forbid. I will execute judgments in thee, and the 
whole remnant of thee will I scatter into all the 
winds.^^ " And yet for all that, when they be in the 
land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, 
neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, 
and to break my covenant with them : for I am the 
Lord their God.'' (Lev. xxvi. 44.) " I wiU sift the 
house of Israel among the nations, like as com is sifted 
in a sieve ; yet shall not the least grain fall upon the 
earth, I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, 
saith the Lord.'' (Amos ix. 8, 9.) '^Fear thou not, 

J acob my servant, saith the Lord : for I am with 
thee. I will make a full end of all the nations whither 

1 have driven thee ; but I will not make a full end of 
thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not 
leave thee wholly unpunished." (Jer. xlvi. 28.) These, 
and other passages of similar import, justify the opinion 
that the descendants of Abraham are still interested in 
the Divine regards, that there is a brighter destiny in 
reversion for them, and that the Jewish people, whose 
identity and distinctness have been so miraculously 
preserved amidst all their dispersions, will yet be reco- 
vered from their wanderings, and enjoy a season of 
preeminent temporal and spiritual prosperity in their 
own land. 

"Were there," says a late writer, "no prophetic 
star to guide us in our expectations for the house of 
J acob, their present state and circumstances might well 
induce us to conclude that they are reserved for mighty 
purposes, altogether unprecedented and unparalleled 
in the condition of that marvellous people.* Not only 

* " The preservation of the Jews is really one of the most signal 
and illustrious acts of Divine Providence. They are dispersed among 
all nations, and yet not confounded with any. The drops of rain 
which fall; na^, the great rivers which flow into the ocean, are soon 



ITS DESTINY. 



493 



was the signal prophecy delivered in tlie outset of tlieir 
career, " Lo_, tlie people shall dwell alone, and shall not 
be reckoned among the nations/^ verified during the 

mingled and lost in that immense body of waters ; and the same, in 
all human prohatility, would have been the fate of the Jews ; they 
would have been mingled and lost in the common mass of mankind ; 
butj on the contrary, they flow into all parts of the world, mix with 
all nations, and yet keep separate from all. They still live as a 
distinct people, and yet they nowhere live according to their own 
laws, nowhere elect their own magistrates, nowhere enjoy the full 
exercise of their religion. Their solemn feasts and sacrifices are 
limited to one certain place, and that hath been now for many ages 
in the hands of strangers and aliens, who will not suffer them to come 
thither. No people have continued unmixed so long as they have 
done ; not only of those who have sent forth colonies into foreign 
■countries, but even of those who have abided in their own country, 
/he northern nations have come in swarms into the more southern 
j)arts of Europe ; but where are they now to be discerned and dis- 
tinguished 1 The Gauls went forth in great bodies to seek their 
fortune in foreign parts ; but what traces or footsteps of them are 
now remaining anywhere? In France, who can separate the race 
of the ancient Gauls from the various other people who from time 
to time have settled there 1 In Spain, who can distinguish exactly 
between the first possessors, the Spaniards, and the Goths and Moors, 
who conquered and kept possession of the country for some ages? 
In England, who can pretend to say with certainty which families 
are derived from the ancient Britons, and which from the Romans, 
or Saxons, or Danes, or Normans 1 The most ancient and honour- 
able pedigrees can be traced up only to a certain period, and beyond 
that there is nothing but conjecture and uncertainty, obscurity and 
ignorance ; but the Jews can go up higher than any nation ; they 
can even deduce their pedigree from the beginning of the world. 
They may not know from what particular tribe or family they are 
descended, but they know certainly that they all sprang from the 
stock of Abraham. The contempt with which they have been treated, 
and the hardships they haye undergone, in almost all countries, should, 
one would think, have made them desirous to forget or renounce 
their original ; but they profess it, they glory in it, and, after so 
many wars, massacres, and, persecutions, they still subsist — they still 
are very numerous. "What but a supernatural power could have 
preserved them in such a manner as none other nation upon earth 
hath been preserved? What hath already been accomplished is a 
suflBcient pledge and earnest of what is yet to come ; and we have 



494 



PALESTINE. 



period of their national establishment in Judaea, and 
during the season of their captivity in Babylon, but it 
has now been verifying during 1800 years of universal 
dispersion and desolation. They continue like oil on 
the surface of the ocean, every where diffused, yet no- 
where blended. A Jew in Britain and a Jew at the 
antipodes, the comely Israelite of Europe and the 
swarthy Israelite of India, retain the same broad linea- 
ments of identity, and are characterized by the same bold 
national'peculiarities. The iron footprints of centuries 
have not obliterated their distinctive features, nor all the 
fury of despotism and power succeeded in even dimi- 
nishiug their number. There is much reason to suppose 
that they are at this moment as vast a multitude as they 
were in the meridian of their country^s splendour. 
They stand forth, therefore, in the face of the world a 
living and a lasting miracle — a mighty though a dislo- 
cated monument — on every fragment of which the truth 
of Scripture is inscribed in characters of light. We 
fearlessly challenge Infidehty to gainsay the irrefragable 
testimony ; its energy has been felt. 

Have, then, the Jewish race been so preternaturally 
preserved merely as a beacon of Divine vengeance, set- 
ting forth the fearful judgment, but never to set forth 
the super abounding grace of God ? God forbid ! The 
imagination cannot be entertained. Sound philosophy 

all imaginable reason to believe, since so many of the prophecies are 
fulfilled, that the remaining prophecies will be fulfilled also ; that 
there will be yet a great harvest of the nations, and the yet uncon- 
verted parts of the earth will be enlightened with the knowledge 
cf the Lord; that the Jews will, in God's good time, be converted 
to Christiaiiiiy, and be restored to their native city and country. 
Yie have seen the prophecy of Hosea (chap iii. iv. v.) fulfilled 
in part, and why should we not beheve that it will be fulfilled in the 
'^/holeV — Bishop JN'ewton's Dissertations on the Prophecies, Dissert. 
yi'ii. pp. 103, 110, ).21. 



I'rS DL3TINY. 



495 



woiild, therefore, from an enliglitened survey of the 
Jewish people,, be predisposed, if not to anticipate, at 
least to embrace the glorious prospects which the pro- 
phetic page unfolds for Israel." 

We are not, however, left to mere conjecture or un- 
certain inferences concerning the future destinies of the 
Jews. "We have a "more sure word of prophecy, where- 
unto we do well to take heed, as unto a light shining in 
a dark place." The prophetic writings throw a flood of 
hght on this most interesting subject, and, dispelling 
the shades which overhang the vista of futurity, disclose 
to the eye of faith the transactions and triumphs of the 
last times. If men would but adhere to the plain testi- 
mony of the Oracles of God, instead of speculating and 
reasoning on a theme that lies entirely beyond the pro- 
vince of reason, many of the difficulties that are supposed 
to encumber the theory of a hteral restoration, that is, 
of the literal fulfilment of God^s recorded Word, would 
vanish and disappear before the clear elucidations of the 
Inspired Volume. 

The prophecies relating to the future destiny of 
Judsea and the Jews, clearly intimate, among other col- 
lateral events, the ingathering of the outcasts of Israel 
from among the Gentiles — their return to their own 
land — the restoration of the land to its former fertility 
and beauty — the rebuilding of their city and temple 
^the reestablishment of their national and ecclesias- 
/ deal polity — the reunion of Judah and Israel — and the 
peaceful and triumphant reign of the Messiah. 

An intelligent writer has laid down the following 
rules, to guide us in ascertaining whether the pro- 
phecies respecting the Jews refer to a deliverance and 
restoration yet future : — 

1. "When Judah and Israel (the term Israel being 
used, in contradistinction from Judah to designate the 



496 



PALESTINE: 



ten tribes,) are botli included in the promised "bless- 
ings. 

2. ^^When the house of Israel, or Ephraim, or 
Joseph, is evidently the object of the promise/^ The 
ten tribes, or people of Israel, were plucked from off 
their own land, and carried away captive into Assyria. 
From that captivity they never returned; they have 
not had possession of a single foot of land in Judsea 
for the last 2560 years. If, therefore, there are any 
prophecies which foretel the restoration and return of 
" the whole house of Israel,^^ of the ten tribes as weU 
as the two tribes, either those prophecies are based 
on erroneous anticipations, or we must look for the 
accomplishment of them to events yet future. 

3. ^*^When the promise, though addressed to Judah, 
can with no propriety, from the nature of the language, 
be considered as fulfilled in the recovery from Babylon. 

4. ^^When the prophecy was delivered after the 
return of the Jews from Babylon. 

5. "When the time for the event is designated by 
the term ' latter days,' or the order and series of the 
prophecy necessarily refer us to a period subsequent tc 
the first advent of Christ 

6. " When the promise is accompanied by predictions 
of universal peace.''^ To these we may add : — 

7. When the prophecy specifies, or implies, the 
termination of their national calamities ; and lastly, 

8. When it stands in connexion with the repentance, 
conversion, and return of the house of Israel to the 
Lord their God. 

With these rules for our guidance, let us proceed to 
investigate some of the numberless prophecies relating 
:o these events. 

And it shall come to pass when all these things are 
come upon thee the blessing and the curse, which I 



ITS DESTINY. 



497 



have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind 
amongst all the nations whither the Lord thy God 
hath driven thee, and shalt return unto the Lord thy 
God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I 
command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all 
thine heart, and with all thy soul ; that then the Lord 
thy God -vvill turn thy captivity, and have compassion 
upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the 
nations, whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee. 
If any of thine be driven out unto the utmost parts 
of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather 
thee, and from thence will he fetch thee : and the 
Lord thy God will bring thee into the land which thy 
fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he 
will do thee good and multiply thee above thy fathers. 
And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, 
and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God 
with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou 
mayest live." (Dent. xxx. 1 — 6.) 

There are several particulars recorded in this pro- 
phecy which render it wholly inapplicable to the return 
of the Jews from Babylon. During that captivity, 
they were not scattered among "all people, from one 
end of the earth to the other," or "driven out unto 
the outmost parts of heaven." Many of the curses 
and calamities foretold in the two preceding chapters 
befel them subsequently to their dispersion by Titus ; 
and the greater part of them we see in course of 
accomplishment at this present time. And, as the 
deliverance and restoration to the land which their 
fathers possessed are represented by the Prophet as 
posterior to the endurance of these calamities, it obvi- 
ously follows, that the reference must be, not to th^ 
partial restoration which took place under Ezra and 



498 



iPALESTINE. 



Neliemiah, but to some deliverance and restoration 
yet to come. 

In ver. 5 it is said^ " He will do thee good, and 
multiply thee above tliy fathers -^^ and in ver. 6, " The 
Lord thy Grod will circumcise thine heart, and the 
heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all 
thine heart, and with all thy soul,^^ &c. Now, it is 
evident that neither of these promises was realized 
during the interval of their return from Babylon and 
their final dispersion. The rabbins themselves allow 
that at the time of the last Jewish war, the people 
had reached a height of wickedness unexampled in 
any former period of their history, and that the com- 
ing of the Messiah was delayed on this account. 
JosephQs says, there had never been upon earth so 
abandoned a race of men as those who then had 
possession of Jerusalem; that they were universally 
demoralized, both in public and private life ; that they 
vied with each other in impiety against God, and 
injustice towards man; and that their abominable 
excesses compelled Titus to destroy the city. The 
restoration here promised, therefore, and the conse- 
quent circumcision of their hearts, are events yet to 
be accomplished. 

" This passage,^^ says Scott, evidently refers lo tne 
prophetical denunciations of the two preceding chap- 
"^rs, which had their main accomplishment in the 
aestruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, and in the 
consequent dispersion of the Jews to the present day ; 
little doubt, therefore, can remain, that these pro* 
phetical promises are yet unaccomplished, and that 
the relics of the nation shall, in some future^ if not 
very distant period, be converted to Christ, and pro- 
bably be gathered together, and reinstated in Canaan. 



ITS DESTINY. 



499 



The language here used, is in a great measure absolute, 
containing, not merely a conditional encouragement, but 
predicting an event which would absolutely take place: 
for the Lord himself engaged to circumcise the hearts 
of the people; and when regeneration has taken place, 
and Divine love has supplanted the love of sin, then 
certainly they will consider and repent, and return to God 
and obey him/^ 

"For I will take you from among the heathen, and 
gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into 
your own land. And ye shall dwell in the land that I 
gave to your fathers ; and ye shall be my people, and I will 
be your God. I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, 
and the wastes shall be builded. And I will multiply 
upon you man and beast : and they shall increase and 
bring fruit : and I will settle you after your old estates, 
and will do better unto you than at your beginnings : and 
ye shall know that I am the Lord.^' (Ezek. xxxvi. 24, 
28, 33, 11.) 

In this chapter God promises that he would do better 
unto them than at their beginning/^ (verse 11;) that 
their "land which was desolate should become like the 
garden of Eden (verse 35 ;) that he would " cleanse 
them from all their filthiness, and from all their idols, 
and give unto them a new heart, and put his spirit within 
them.'' (Verses 25, 26.) Now this language is far too 
strong to admit of its application, to any past period of 
the Jewish history. The temporal condition of the 
Jews subsequent to their return from Babylon was 
never so prosperous as it was prior to that event. And 
so far from having been cleansed from their idolatrous 
and moral pollutions, their crimes were greater than 
before ; they progressively advanced in iniquity, emu- 
lating, in tlie daring character of their transgressions, 
the most barbarous nations of antiquity, until, having 



500 



PALESTINE. 



reached the climax of their guilty they crucified the 
Lord of life and glory, and wrath came upon them to 

the uttermost. ^ . rX- Ito hsm&mih a J* f9ff*9^d:r -^edtB'^ 
In verse 12 it is said, that the land henceforth (that 
is, from the time of the fulfilment of the foregoing 
promises) should no more be bereaved of its Israelitish 
inhabitants. But the land has been bereaved, and 
is yet desolate ; consequently, the verification of this 
covenant must be prospective, r^f^tr ffrw bun rTooBL 
It is also worthy of remark, that those Jews who 
shall be restored to their own land, at the period 
referred to in this prophecy, shall be gathered " out of 
all countries;'' or, as it is elsewhere expressed, ^^from 
one end of the earth even unto the other." The conclusion 
is obvious, that if this prediction refer to the return 
from Chaldaea, the terms in which it is conveyed are 
ill-selected and inappropriate ; and, therefore, that it 
must be understood as referring to a restoration yet to 
be accomplished. = t^^v^ jjQrf > 

"In this chapter,-'^ says Matthew Henry, we have 
two distinct prophecies ; the one seems chiefly to relate 
to the temporal estate of the Jews, wherein their pre- 
sent deplorable condition is described, and the triumph 
of their neighbours in it ; but it is promised that 
their grievances shall be all redressed, and that in 
due time they shall be settled again in their own land, 
in the midst of peace and plenty. (Verses 1 — 15.) 
The other seems chiefly to concern their spiritual 
estate. 

Isa. xi. 11 — 14. '^And it shall come to pass in that 

day, that the Lord sliall set his hand again the second 
time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall 
be left, from Assyria, and ft'om Egypt, and from 
Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elarh, and from 
Shinar, and from Hamaih, and from the islands of 



ITS DESTINY. 501 

the sea! And lie sliall set up an ensign for the na- 
tions, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and 
gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four 
corners of the earth. The envy also of Ephraim shall 
depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off : 
Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not 
vex Ephraim/' 

Isa. xiv. 1 — 3. " For the Lord will have mercy on 
Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in 
their own land: and the strangers shall be joined 
with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. 
And the people shall take them, and bring them to 
their place : and the house of Israel shall possess them 
in the land of the Lor d for servants and handmaids : 
and they shall take them captives, whose captives they 
were; and they shall rule over their oppressors. And 
the Lord shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and 
from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein 
thou wast made to serve." 

Bishop Lowth observes on this passage, that " the 
names of Jacob and Israel, used apparently with design 
in this place, each of which names includes the twelve 
tribes, and other circumstances mentioned in the first 
two verses, which did not in any complete sense 
accompany the return from the captivity of Babybn, 
seem to intimate that this whole prophecy extends its 
views beyond that event." 

Isa. xviii. 7. " In that time shall the present be 
brought unto the Lord of hosts of a people scattered 
and peeled, a people terrible (or wonderful) from their 
beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden 
under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the 
place of the name of the Lord of hosts, the Mount 
Zion." 

''This then is the sum of this prophecy, and the 



502 



PALESTINE. 



substance of the message^ sent to the people dragged 
about and plucked. That in the latter ages, after a 
long suspension of the ^dsible interpositions of Pro- 
vidence, God, who all the while regards that dwelling- 
place which he never will abandon, and is at all times 
directing the events of the world to the accomplish- 
ment of his own purposes of wisdom and mercy, 
immediately before the final gathering of his elect 
from the four winds of heaven, will purify his church 
by such signal judgments, as shall rouse the attention 
of the whole world, and, in the end, strike all nations 
with religious awe. At this period, the apostate faction 
will occupy the Holy Land. This faction will certainly 
be an instrument of those judgments, by which the 
church will be purified. That purification, therefore* 
is not at all inconsistent with the seeming prosperity 
of the affairs of the atheistical confederacy. But, after 
such duration, as God shall see fit to allow to the 
plenitude of its power, the Jews, converted to the faith 
of Christ, will be unexpectedly restored to their ancient 
possessions. The swift messengers will certainly have 
a considerable share, as instruments in the hand of 
God, in the restoration of the chosen people. Other- 
wise, to what purpose are they called upon (ver. 1.) 
to receive their commission from the prophet? It 
will, perhaps, be some part of their business to aff'ord 
the Jews the assistance and protection of their fleets. 
This seems to be insinuated in the imagery of the 
first verse. But the principal part they will have to 
act, will be that of the carriers of God's message to his 
people. This character seems to describe some Chris- 
tian country, where the prophecies, relating to the 
latter ages, vrill meet with particular attention ; where 
the literal sense of those, which promise the restoration 
of the Jewish people, will be strenuously upheld; and 



ITS DESTINY. 



503 



where these will be so successfully expounded^ as to 
be the principal means^ bv God^s blessing, of remoTing 
the veil from the hearts of the Israelites. 

In what people of the earth, of the eastern or the 
western world, the chai'acters of the messenger-people 
may be found, when the time shall come for the 
accomplishment of the prophecy, is hitherto uncertain 
in that degree, that we are hardly at Hberty, in my 
judgment, to conjectnre. But I cannot but say, that 
it seems in the highest degree improbable, that the 
atheistical democracy of France should be the people, 
for whom the honour of that office is intended. The 
French democracy, fi'om its infancy to the present mo- 
ment, ha5 been a conspicuous and principal branch at 
least of the western Antichrist. The messenger-people 
is certainly to be a Christian people. For I think 
it cannot be doubted, that the messenger -people, and 
the leaders of the present to Jehovah to 3Iount Zion, are 
the same people. And the act of leading a present to 
Jehovah to Mount Zion must be an act of worshipers 
of Jehovah; for it is an act of worship. They, there- 
fore, who lead the present will be true worshipers, 
performing that service from rehgious motives. Those 
who shall thus be instruments in this blessed work, 
may weU be described, in the figured language of 
prophecy, as the carriers of Grod^s message to his 
people. The situation of the country, destined to so 
high an office, is not otherwise described in the pro- 
phecy, than by this circumstance — that it is to be 
beyond the rivers of Cush : that is, far to the west of 
Judaea, if these rivers of Cush are to be understood, as 
they have been generally understood, of the Nile and 
other Ethiopian rivers ; far to the east, if of the Tigris 
and the Euphi-ates. The one, or the other, they must 
denote ; but which, is uncertain. 



504 



PALESTINE. 



My notion of tlie prophet^s geographical language 
is, that it is the language of the Phoenician voyagers 
of his time. And^ in those times, the most distant 
voyages being made along the coasts, the Phoenician 
mariners would speak of every place which lay to the 
west of the mouths of the Nile, as beyond the Nile, 
that is, in the poetical language of the prophet, beyond 
the rivers of Cush; because, keeping always along the 
coast, they would pass within sight of the mouth c. 
the Nile, before they reached that western place. Ac- 
cording to this nautical phraseology of the voyagers 
of those times, the circumstance of being beyond the 
rivers of Cush was alike applicable to France, Spain, 
Portugal, Great .Britain, Ireland, Denmark, in short, 
any part of Europe, without the straits. Not more 
to any part of Europe, than to any part of Africa, 
without the straits. Not more to any part of Europe 
or Africa, than to the whole eastern coast of North 
and South America. The particular situation of the 
country, therefore, is by no means ascertained by this 
circumstance.* Yet, however indefinite the present 
prophecy may be in fixing the precise quarter of the 
globe where we are to look for the messenger-people, 
others give us sufficient reason to believe that they 
will be some European natign. What European nation, 
indeed, is wholly uncertain; but their character, as 
described by Isaiah, necessarily leads us to conclude, 
that they wiU be a maritime nation of faithful wor- 
shipe7's." t 

Isa. xxvii. 12, 13. "And it shall come to pass in 
that day, that the Lord shall beat off from the channel 
of the river (Euphrates) unto the stream of Egypt, (the 

* Letter on Isaiah xviii. 

t Faber on the Prophecies, vol. i. pp. 200- -204. 



ITS DESTINY. 



505 



Sihor,) and ye shall be gathered one by one, ye children 
of Israel. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the 
great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which 
were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, (the lost ten 
tribes,) and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall 
worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem/^ 

Although Ephraim is broken that he shall never more 
be a distinct people, yet we are expressly taught by the 
voice of prophecy, that the ten tribes which were carried 
away into the land of Assyria shall be restored no less 
than the tribe of Judah, and that the two divided kingdoms 
of Israel will for ever coalesce into one kingdom. Isaiah 
represents them here, precisely what they have been for 
ages, as being lost; and nevertheless declares, that in 
God^s own appointed season they shall come. It is well 
known how many have fruitlessly wearied themselves to 
find them : (See Bp. Newton^s Dissert, vii. :) that they 
will however be found. Scripture asserts in the most 
positive terms, as we shall see when we arrive at those 
prophecies which peculiarly treat of the subject. Since 
the second advent of the Messiah is the time of the restora- 
tion of Israel, and since the finding these lost ones seems 
to be a knot which God alone can untie, perhaps there may 
be more truth in the Jewish notion than has commonly 
been imagined, that, when " the Messiah shall come, it 
will be part of his office to sort their families, restore 
their genealogies, and set aside strangers.^^ 

" When Jerusalem was taken by Titus, of the captives 
who were above seventeen years^ he sent many bound 
to the works in Egypt; those under seventeen were 
sold; but so little care was taken of these captives, 
that 11,000 of them perished for want. And we learn 
from St. Jerome, that after their last overthrow by 
Hadrian, many thousands of them were sold ; and 
those who could not be sold, were transported into 

S T 



506 



PALESTINE. 



Egypt, and perished by shipwreck or famine, or were 
massacred by the inhabitants/'* 

Isa. XXX. 18 — 21. Therefore will the Lord wait 
that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will 
he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you : for 
the Lord is a Grod of judgment : blessed are all they 
that wait for him. For the people shall dwell in Zion 
at Jerusalem; thou shalt weep no more; he will be 
very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry ; when 
he shall hear it, he will answer thee. And though the 
Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of 
affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a 
corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers : 
And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, 
^ This is the way, walk ye in it,^ when ye turn to the 
right hand, and when ye turn to the left.'' 

Isa. xxxiv. 16, 17. Seek ye out of the book of the 
Lord, and read; not one of these shall fail, (be want- 
ing,) none shall want her mate : for my mouth it hath 
commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them. 
And he hath cast the lot for them, and his hand hath 
divided it (the land of Canaan) to them by line ; they 
shall possess it for a perpetual inheritance, from gene- 
ration to generation shall they dwell therein.'' 

Isa. xxxv. 10. "And the ransomed of the Lord shall 
return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting 
joy upon their heads ; they shall obtain joy and glad- 
ness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." 

" That the 35 chapter has a view beyond anything 
that could be the immediate consequence of those 
events, is plain from every part, especially from the 
middle of it, (ver. 5, 6,) where the miraculous works 
wrought by our blessed Saviour are so clearly specified, 
that we cannot avoid making the application : and our 

* Bishop Newton's Dissert. Tii. 



ITS DESTINY. 



507 



Saviour himself has moreover plainly referred to this 
very passage as speaking of him and his works. He 
bids the disciples of John to go and report to their 
master the things which they heard and saw; that 
the blind received their sight^, the lame walked,, and 
the deaf heard : (Matt. xi. 4, 5 :) and leaves it to 
him to draw the conclusion in answer to his inquiry^ 
whether he, who performed the very works which the 
prophets foretold should be performed by the Messiah, 
was not indeed the Messiah himself. And where are 
these works so distinctly marked by any of the pro- 
phets, as in this place ? and how could they be marked 
more distinctly? To these the strictly literal inter- 
pretation of the prophet^s words directs us. Accord- 
ing to the allegorical interpretation, they may have 
a further view; this part of the prophecy may run 
parallel with the former, and relate to the future advent 
of Christ ; to the conversion of the Jeijus, and their resti- 
tution to their land ; to the extension and purification of 
the Ch?'istian faith ; events predicted in the Holy Scrip, 
tures, as preparatory to it."* 

Isa. xliii. 1 — 7, 21. ^'^But now, thus saith the Lord 
that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee^ 

Israel; Fear not, for I have redeemed thee, I have 
called thee by my name : thou art mine. When thou 
passest through the waters," &c. " Fear not : for I am 
with thee; I will bring thy seed from the east, and 
gather thee from the west. I will say to the north, 
Give up ; and to the south. Keep not back ; bring my 
sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the 
earth : even every one that is called by my name : for 

1 have created him for my glory, I have formed him ; 
yea, I have made him. This people have I formed for 
myself; they shall show forth my praise." (See also 

* Bishop Lowth's Isaiah in loc. 



508 



PALESTINE. 



Isaiah xlix. 1 to the end, and chapter liv. ; chapter Ix. ; 
chapter Ixii.) 

Jer. iii. 12 — 18. " Go and proclaim these words 
toward the north, and say. Return, thou backsliding 
Israel, saith the Lord ; and I will not cause mine anger 
to fall upon you : for I am merciful, saith the Lord, 
and I will not keep anger for ever. Only acknowledge 
thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the 
Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the 
strangers under every green tree, and ye ha,ve not 
obeyed my voice, saith the Lord. Turn, O backsliding 
children, saith the Lord ; for I am married unto you ; 
and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, 
and I will bring you to Zion. And I will give you 
pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you 
with knowledge and understanding. At that time they 
shall call Jerusalem, The Throne or the Lord; and 
all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name 
of the Lord, to Jerusalem ; neither shall they walk any 
more after the imagination of their evil heart. In 
those days the house of Judah shall walk with the 
house of Israel, and they shall come together out of 
the land of the north to the land that I have given for 
an inheritance unto your fathers.^' 

" It appears to me sufficiently evident, that the 
whole of this is an unfulfilled prophecy. It nearb 
altogether treats of the general restoration of Israel, as 
contradistinguished from the partial restoration of Judah. 
The house of Israel, however, has not yet returned : 
we have not yet beheld her lost children gathered, 
by some Divine interposition, individually one out of 
a city, and two out of a family : the days are not yet 
arrived, when she hath received pastors according to 
the heart of the Lord : she hath not yet so returned 
unto the land of her inheritance, as there to have 



ITS DESTINY. 



509 



ceased to venerate the ark of the covenant and the cere- 
monial law: the nations have not yet been gathered 
unto Jerusalem ; neither have they as yet ceased to walk 
after the imagination of their evil heart : Judah and 
Israel have not yet coalesced into one people. The only 
time, when this prophecy might be conceived to have 
been accomplished, was at the period of the restoration 
from Babylon, when several individuals of the ten ti^ibes 
returned with and were mingled with the tribe of Judah : 
but, (independent of such an interpretation, being little 
better than a mere quibble,) if we consider the general 
tenor of it, we shall be convinced that it is impossible 
to refer its completion to that era. During the time 
which elapsed between the restoration from Babylon and 
the first advent of our Lord, we cannot allow the Jews 
to have been uniformly fed by faithful pastors; neither 
had they ceased to venerate the ceremonial law ; neither 
were all nations gathered unto Jerusalem ; nor had they 
ceased to walk after the imagination of their evil heart. 
Hence it is plain, that the prophecy was not then accom- 
plished; and if it were not then accomplished, we must 
look for its completion to some yet future period."* 

" The reunion of Israel and Judah, and their joint par- 
ticipaiion of the blessings of the Messiah's kingdom, is 
elsewhere foretold. (See Jer. xxiii. 6 ; xxx. 3 — 9 ; Isa. 
xi. 12, 13; Ezek. xxxvii. 21, 22; Hosea i. 11; Horn, 
xi. 26,) And that in the latter days they shall actually 
return from their several dispersions, to dwell as a nation 
in their ovm land, is declared in such express terms 
by most of the ancient prophets, there cannot be 
a doubt, I think, of its being literally fulfilled in 
due time.^t 

Jer. xvi. 14 — 18. "Therefore, behold the days come, 

* Fa'ber on the Prophecies, yoI. i. pp. 3i0, 341. 
t Dr. Blayney on Jer. iii. 18. 



510 



PALESTINE. 



saith tlie Lord, tliat it shall no more be said. The Lord 
liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the 
land of Egypt ; but^ The Lord liveth, that brought up 
the children of Israel /rom the land of the north, and from 
all the lands whither he had driven them ; and I will 
bring them again into their land that I gave unto their 
fathers. Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the 
Lord, and they shall fish them ; and afterwards will I 
send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from 
every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the 
holes of the rocks. For mine eyes are upon aU their 
ways j they are not hid from my face ; neither is their 
iniquity hid from mine eyes,^^ &c. 

Jer. xxiii. 3 — 8. "I wiU gather the remnant of my 
flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and 
will bring them again to their folds ; and they shall be 
fruitful and increase. And I wiU set up shepherds over 
them which shall feed them; and they shall fear no 
more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, 
saith the Lord. Behold the days come, saith the Lord, 
that I will raise unto Da\dd a righteous Branch, and a 
King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment 
and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be 
saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is his 
name, whereby he shaU be called. The Lord our 
Righteousness. Therefore; behold the days come, saith 
the Lord, that they shall no more say. The Lord liveth, 
^hich brought up the children of Israel out of the land 
of Egypt ; but, the Lord liveth which brought up, and 
which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the 
north country, and from all countries whither I had 
driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land." 

Jer. XXX. 3 — 10. " For, lo, the days come, saith the 
Lord, that I will bring again the captivity of my people 
Israel and Judah, saith the Lord : and I will cause them 



ITS DESTINY. 



511 



to return to the land that I gave to their fathers^ and they 
shall possess it. And these are the words that the Lord 
spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah. For thus 
saith the Lord : We have heard a voice of trembling, of 
fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see, &c. Alas ! 
for that day is great, so that none is like it ; it is even the 
time of Jacobus trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. 
For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of 
hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and 
will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve 
themselves of him. Therefore, fear thou not, my ser- 
vant J acob, saith the Lord ; neither be dismayed, Israel ; 
for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the 
land of their captivity ; and Jacob shall return, and shall 
be in rest, and be quiet^ and none shall make him afraid.^' 
Jer. xxxi. 1—13, 20, 21, 27, 28. "At the same time, 
saith the Lord, will I be the God of all the families of 
Israel, and they shall be my people. The Lord hath ap- 
peared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee -with 
an everlasting love : therefore, with. lo\ingkindness have I 
drawn thee. Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be 
built, vii'gin of Israel ; thou shalt again be adorned with 
thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that 
make merry. Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the moun- 
tains of Samaria; the planters shall plant, and shall eat 
them as common things. For there shall be a day, that 
the watchmen upon the Mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise 
ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the Lord our God. For 
thus saith the Lord, Sing with gladness for Jacob, and 
shout among the chief of the nations ; pubhsh ye, praise 
ye, and say, Lord, save thy people, the remnant of Israel. 
Behold, I will bring them fi'om the north country, and 
gather them from the coasts of the earth ; and with them 
the blind and the lame, the woman with child, and her 
that travaileth with child together, a great company shall 



PALESTINE. 



return thitlifjr. They shall come with weeping, and with 
supplications will I lead them : I will cause them to walk 
by the rivers of waters, in a straight way wherein they shall 
not stumble : for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraira is 
my firstborn. Hear the word of the Lord, ye nations, 
and declare it in the isles afar off, and say. He that scat- 
tered Israel will gather him, and keep him as a shepherd 
doth his flock. For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and 
ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger 
than he. Therefore they shall come and sing in the height 
of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the 
Lord, for wheat and for wine, &c. ; and their soul shall be 
as a watered garden, and they shall not sorrow any more 
at all. Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both 
young men and old together : for I will turn their mourn- 
ing into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice 
from their sorrow. Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a 
pleasant child ? for since I spake against him, I do 
earnestly remember him still : therefore my bowels are 
troubled for him ; I will surely have mercy upon him, 
saith the Lord. Set thee up waymarks ; make thee high 
heaps : set thine heart toward the highway, even the way 
which thou wentest ; turn again, virgin of Israel, turn 
again to these thy cities. Behold, the days come, saith 
the Lord, that I will sow the house of Israel, and the 
house of Judah, with the seed of man, and with the seed 
of beast. And it shall come to pass, that like as I have 
watched over them to pluck up, and to break down, and 
to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict : so will I 
watch over them, to build and to plant, saith the Lord.^' 

"There are many prophecies in various parts of the 
Old Testament, which announce the future restoration of 
Israel to their own land, and the complete reestablishment 
of both their civil and religious constitution in the latter 
days. These two chapters contain a prophecy of this 



ITS DESTINY. 



513 



kind, which must necessarily be referred to those times, 
because it points out circumstances which certainly 
were not fulfilled at the return of the Jews from the Baby- 
lonish captivity, nor have hitherto had their completion. 
For the people that returned from Babylon, were the 
people of Judah, who had been carried away captive by 
Nebuchadnezzar ; but here it is foretold, that not the 
captivity of Judah only shoidd be restored, but the cap- 
tivity of Israel also, meaning those ten tribes that were 
carried away before by Shalmaneser, King of Assyria, 
and who still remain in their several dispersions, having 
never returned, in a national capacity at least, to their 
own land, whatever some few individuals have done. 
But the terms of the prophecy entitle us to expect, not an 
obscure and partial, but complete and universal, restora- 
tion : when God will manifest himself, as formerly, the 
God and patron of all the families of Israel, and not of a 
few only. Again, it is promised, that after this restora- 
tion they should no more fall under the dominion of 
foreigners, but be governed by princes and magistrates 
of their own nation, independent of any but God and 
David their king. But this was not the case with the 
Jews that returned from Babylon. They then indeed 
had a leader, Zerubbabel, one of their own nation, and 
also of the family of David. But both their nation and 
the leader continued still in a state of vassalage and the 
most servile dependence upon the Persian monarchy. 
And when the Grecian monarchy succeeded, thej^ 
changed their masters only, not their condition : till at 
length, under the Asmonsean princes, they had for a 
while an independent government of their own, but 
without any title to the name of David, At last they 
fell under the Boman yoke ; since which time their 
situation has been such, as not to afford the least 
ground to pretend that the promised restoration has 

S u 



5M 



PALESTINE. 



vet taken place. It remains, therefore, to be brought 
about in future under the reign of the Messiah, 
emphatically distinguished by the name of David: 
when every particular circumstance, predicted con- 
cerning it, will, no doubt, be verified by a distinct and 
unequivocal accomplishment.'^* 

" On these grounds we may safely, I think, venture 
to pronounce, that the joint restoration of Judah and 
Israel in the last ages is again foretold in the present 
prediction of Jeremiah, as it already has been in the 
foregoing ones. The Prophet begins with declaring, 
that, although they should certainly return into their 
own country, they should return, at least Judah should 
return, in a day of unexampled trouble. Terrible how- 
ever as that day will be, Jacob shall surely be saved out 
of it : the yoke of his oppressors shall be broken from 
off his neck : his children shall no longer serve strangers 
in the land of their dispersion ; but they shall serve the 
Lord their God, and the antitypicai David, their King, 
the Messiah. Of the nations among which they have 
been scattered, God will make a full end : but of them 
he will not make a full end : for, although he will not 
leave them altogether unpunished, he will correct them 
only in exact measure. While they are chastised with 
a fatherly chastisement, the whirlwind of the Lord will 
go forth with fury, and settle upon the head of the 
wicked, Antichrist and his rebellious associates. The - 
Prophet adds, that hereafter, in the futurity of days, when 
all the matters contained in it shall have been accom- 
plished, this prediction shall be fully understood, but till 
then it shall be a sealed book. As the time, however, 
of its completion approaches, we shall gradually obtain 
a clearer insight into it. Already have many begun to 
run to and fro ; and knowledge is daily increasing, as 

* Dr. Blayney. 



ITS DESTINY. 



515 



the signs of the times multiply. In our own generation 
we have seen the rise of Antichrist. His ultimate fate is 
likewise predicted; and his destruction is declared to 
be contemporary with the restoration of the Jews at the 
close of the 1260 years. But over more minute circum- 
stances the impenetrable veil of awful futurity still con- 
tinues to spread itself. The anger of the Lord will not 
turn backj until he have performed all the purposes of 
his heart : when they are all performed^ we shall then 
fully understand both this and other similar prophecies. 

In the remainder of the prediction^ Jeremiah seems 
peculiarly to direct our attention to the restoration of the 
house of Israel, which will not take place till after the' 
overthrow of Antichrist and the previous restoration of the 
house of Judah. Lost as the ten tribes at present are, 
though the figurative Rachel has long bewailed her 
scattered children^ which in a remarkable manner are 
not J the virgin of Israel shall again go forth to the dance, 
the mountains of Samaria shall again be planted, and 
Ephraira shall not for ever be an alien from his God and 
"Father. As the Lord hath hitherto watched over Judah 
and Israel only to destroy and afflict them, so will he 
then watch over them, to build and to plant. He will 
make a new and spiritual covenant with them. They 
shall no more be bound by laborious ceremonial observ- 
ances. But they shall all know the Lord, from the least 
to the greatest of them. Meanwhile Palestine shall 
exult in more than its ancient fertility ; its population 
shall experience a wonderful increase ; and every kind 
of useful animals shall be multiplied throughout its 
provinces. Thus will God bless the latter end of his 
chosen people, more than their beginning.^-' 

Ezek. xi. 13 — 18. "Then fell I down upon my face, 
and cried with a loud voice, and said. Ah ! Lord God, 
wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel? 



516 



PALESTINE. 



Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son 
of man, thus saith the Lord God, Although I have cast 
them far off among the heathen, and although I have 
scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to 
them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they 
shall come. Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord God, I 
will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out 
of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will 
give you the land of Israel. And they shall come thither, 
and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof, 
and all the abominations thereof, from thence.'^ 

Ezek. XX. 33—44. " As I live, saith the Lord God, 
surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, 
and with fury poured out, will I rule over you. And I 
will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out 
of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty 
hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured 

out.^^ In mine holy mountain, in the mountain of 

the height of Israel, saith the Lord God, there shall all 
the. house of Israel, all of them in the land serve me; 
there will I accept them, and there will I require your 
offerings, and the first-fruit of your oblations, with all 
your holy things. I will accept you with your sweet 
savour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather 
you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered, 
and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen,'^ &c. &c. 

Ezek. xxviii. 25, 26. " Thus saith the Lord God, When 
I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the people 
among whom they are scattered, and shall be sanctified in 
them in the sight of the heathen, then shall they dwell in 
their land, that I have given to my servant Jacob. And 
they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and 
plant vineyards: yea, they shall dwell wdth confidence, 
when I shall have executed judgments upon all those that 
despise them round about them, and they shall know that 
[ am the Lord their God.'' 



ITS DESTINY. 



517 



Ezek. xxxiv. 11 to the end. " For thus saith the Lord 
God, Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and 
seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in 
the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered : so 
will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all 
places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and 
dark day. And I will bring them out from the people, 
and gather them from the countries, and will bring them 
to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of 
Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the 
country. I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon 
the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be; there 
shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall 
they feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed my 
flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord 
God. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again 
that which was driven away, and will bind up that which 
was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick ; but 
I will destroy the fat and the strong, I will feed them 
with judgment. And I will set up one shepherd over 
them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David ; he 
shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And 
they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall 
the beasts of the land devour them ; but they shall dwell 
safely, and none shall make them afraid." 

Ezek. xxxvi. 8, et seq. " But ye, mountains of Israel, 
ye shall shoot forth your branches, &c. And I will mul- 
tiply upon you man and beast, and they shall increase 
and bring fruit, and I will settle you after your old estates, 
and will do better unto you than at your beginnings, and 
ye shall know that I am the Lord. Yea, I will cause men 
to walk upon you, even my people Israel, and they shall 
possess thee, and thou shalt be their inheritance, and thou 
shalt no more henceforth bereave them of men. Neither 
yill I cause men to hear in thee the shame of the heathen 



618 



tALESTINE. 



any more, neither shalt thou bear the reproach of the 
people any more, neither shalt thou cause thy nations to 
fall any more, saith the Lord. Moreover, the word of the 
Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, when the house 
of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their 
own way, &c. Wherefore I poured out my fury upon 
them, &c. And I scattered them among the heathen, and 
they were dispersed through the countries. But I had 
pity for my holy name, which the house of Israel had 
profaned among the heathen, whither they went. There- 
fore, say unto the house of Israel, I will sanctify my 
great name which was profaned among the heathen, which 
ye have profaned in the midst of them, and the heathen 
shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall be sanctified 
in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among 
the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will 
bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean 
water upon you, and ye shall be clean, &c. And ye shall 
dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye 
shall be my people, and I will be your God.^^ 

Ezek. xxxvii. 1 — 28. "The hand of the Lord was 
upon me, and carried me out in the Spirit of the Lord, 
and set me down in the midst of the valley which 
was full of bones. And caused me to pass by them 
round about: and, behold, there were very many in 
the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And he 
said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live ? And 
I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest. Again he 
said unto me. Prophesy upon these bones, and say 
unto them, O ye dry bones,* hear the word of the 

* Dry 'bones.\ "The extreme accuracy of symbolical prophecy is 
very remarkable. St. John, wishing to describe the short extinction 
of the Smalcaldic witnesses, which continued only three years and a 
half, describes them as being slain indeed, but as lying unburied 
during the space of three days and a half ; after which life entered 
into them, and they stood again upon their feet. (Rev. xi. 7 — 10. See 



ITS DESTINY. 



519 



Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unto tliese bones; 
Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye 
shall live : and I will lay sinews upon you, and will 
bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, 
and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye 
shall know that I am the Lord. So I prophesied 
as I was commanded : and as I prophesied, there was 
a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came 
together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, 
the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and 
the skin covered them above : but there was no breath 
in them. Then said he unto me. Prophesy unto the 
wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind: 
Thus saith the Lord God j Come from the four winds, 
O breath,^ and breathe upon these slain that they 
may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and 
the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood 
up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. 

Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are 

my Dissert, on the 1260 years, chap. x. sect. 1,) Isaiah, on the other 
hand, exhibiting to us the long political extinction of Judah,YeT^Yesents 
his children, as not only dead, but buried. (Isaiah xxvi. 19.) While 
Ezekiel, treating both of the long- extinction of Judah and the yet 
longer extinction of Israel, calls us to behold the resurrection of a heap 
of dry bones; of bones, all whose covering, even of putrid fleshy had 
long since decayed away; whose very sinews were wasted ; of bones 
altogether bare ; and, not only altogether bare, but which had so long 
been bleaching in the sun and the wind, that lo, they were very dry. 
The prophet adds. These hones are the whole house of Israel, Ephraim, 
as well as Judah ; and puts these emphatic words into the mouth of 
that nation, which separately or wholly has been expecting, expecting, 
and trampled under foot, more than twenty-five centuries. Our hones 
are dried, and our hope is lost." — Faber. 

* Come from the four winds, O breath.'] " The words figuratively 
represent the restoration of the Jewish nation from the several countries 
whither they were dispersed over the world, expressed by their being 
scattered toward all winds." — Mr. Lowth in loc. 



520 



PALESTINE. 



the whole house of Israel : behold, they say, Our bones 
are dried, and our hope is lost ; we are cut off for our 
parts. Therefore prophesy, and say unto them. Thus 
saith the Lord God : Behold, O my people, I will open 
your graves, and cause you to come up out of your 
graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And 
ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened 
your graves, O my people, and brought you up out 
of your graves. And I will put my Spirit in you, and 
ye shall live, and I will place you in your own land : 
then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and 
performed it, saith the Lord. 

And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying. And 
thou, son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon 
it. For Judah, and for the children of Israel his com- 
panions. Then take another stick, and write upon it. 
For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house 
of Israel his companions : * And join them one to 
another into one stick ; and they shall become one in 
thine hand. And when the children of thy people shall 
speak unto thee, saying. Wilt thou not show us what 
thou meanest by these ? say unto them. Thus saith 
the Lord God ; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, 
which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of 
Israel ]iis fellows, and will put them upon him with the 
stick bf Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall 

* Judah^ and the children of Israel his companions — Joseph^ and 
all the house of Israel his companions.'} This remarkable expression 
might alone prove, that the restoration of the house of Israel, so often 
predicted by the Prophets, did not take place, to the degree that it -will 
take place, at the return from the Babylonian captivity. Judah is here 
mentioned, with the children of Israel his companions ; or Levi, Ben*, 
jamin, and such indi\iduals of the ten tribes as followed him from 
Babylon : while Joseph is separateiy mentioned, as having all the house 
of Israel for his companions ; or the great body of the ten tribes. After 
the destruction of ^w^icArw^, Judah so circumstanced, and Joseph 6& 
circumstanced, are to coalesce into one people. 



ITS DESTINY. 



521 



be one in mine hand. And the sticks whereon thou 
writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes. And say 
unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will 
take the children of Israel from among the nations whither 
they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and 
bring them into their own land : And I will make them 
one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel : 
and one king shall be king to tbem ail : and they shall 
be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided 
into two kingdoms any more at all. Neither shall they 
defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with 
their detestable things, nor with any of their transgres- 
sions : but I will save them out of all their dwelling- 
places wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them, 
and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. 
And David my servant shall be king over them, and 
they shall all have one shepherd : and they shall walk 
in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. 
And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto 
Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and 
they shall dwell therein, even they and their children, and 
their children's children, for ever : and my servant David 
shall be their prince for ever. And I will make a covenant 
of peace "with them : it shall be an everlasting covenant 
with them : and I will place them, and multiply them, and 
will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. 
And my tabernacle shall be with them : and I will be 
their God, and they shall be my people. And the nations 
shall know, that I the Lord do sanctify Israel,* \?hen 
my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for eve'rmore.'^ 

* The nations shall know, that I the Lord do sanctify Israel.] The 
conversion of the Jewish nation, and their being restored to their former 
state of fa-vour and acceptance with God, will be a work of Providence 
taken notice of by the heathens themselves, who shall join themselves 
to the Jews, as the church of God and temple of truth, (See chap^ * 
xzxvi. 23.) Mr. Lowth in loc, 

S X 



522 



PALESTINE. 



Ezek. xxxix. 25—29. "Therefore, thus saith the Lord 
Godj Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and 
have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be 
jealous for my holy name : After that they have borne 
their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have 
trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their 
land, and none made them afraid. TThen I have brought 
them again from the people, and gathered them out of their 
enemies^ lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of 
many nations; Then shall they know that I am the Lord 
their God which caused them to be led into captivity 
among the heathen. But I have gathered them unto their 
own land, and have left none of them any more there. 
Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I 
have poured out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, saith 
the Lord.'' 

Hosea xi. 8 — 12. "How shaU I give thee up, Ephraim? 
how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as 
Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? Mine heart is 
turned within me; my repen tings are kindled together. I 
will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not 
return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; 
the Holy One in the midst of thee. They shall walk after 
the Lord; they shall tremble as a bird out of Egypt, and 
as a dove out of the land of Assyria: and I ^ill place. them 
in their houses, saith the Lord.-" 

Joel ii. 18 to the end. "Then will the Lord be jealous 
for his land, and pity his people. Yea, the Lord will an- 
swer and say unto his people. Behold, I will send you corn 
and wine, and oil, and he shall be satisfied therewith; and 
I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen." 

Joel iii. "For behold in those days, and in that time, 
when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jeru- 
salem, I will also gather all nations, &c. Behold, I will 
-aise them (the children of Judah and the children of 



ITS DESTINY. 



523 



Jerusalem^ verse 7) out of tlie place wMtlier ye have 
sold them_, and will return youi' recompense upon your 
own head . But J udah shall dwell for ever^ and Jeru- 
salem from generation to generation. For I wiU 
cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed^ for the 
Lord dwelleth in Zion.-'^ 

Amos ix. 11 — 15. "In that day will I raise up the 
tabernacle of David that is fallen^ and close up the 
breaches thereof, and I will raise up his ruins^ and I will 
build it as in the days of old : That they may possess the 
remnant of Edom^ &c. And I will plant them upon their 
laudj and they shall no more be pulled up out of their 
land which I have given them^ saith the Lord thy God/^ 

Micah ii. 12^ 13. " I will surely assemble^ Jacobs all 
of thes; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel;* I 
will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah^f as the flock 
in the midst of their fold ; they shall make great noise by 
reason of the multitude of men. The breaker (the re- 
mover of all obstacles) is come up before them ; J they have 
broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone 
out by it, and their King (the Messiah) shall pass before 

* I will surely gather the remnant of Israel.] " This promise relates 
to the general restoration of the Jewish nation." Mr. Lowth in loc. 

t I will put tliem together as the sheep of Bo zr ah.] " God is often 
styled the Shepherd of Israel, and his care over his people is compared 
to that of a shepherd over his flock. — Bczrah is a noted place in 
IdumcEa where there were large flocks of sheep." Mr. Lowth in loc. 

X He that breakeih down is coyne up before them.] "He that shall 
hreak the bonds of their captivity, or break through all obstacles that 
hinder their return home. — The Jewish commentators generally under- 
stand the breaker, and their King that follows, of the same person, viz. 
the Messi/xh, as may be seen in Dr. Pocock upon the place. The words 
seem parallel to that expression of Zechariah, (chap. xii. 8,) * As the 
angel of the Lord before them,' or at the head of them. Some of tlae 
Jews indeed, with a little variation, e-s.-^onTi(itheir King of the Messiah^ 
and the breaker of his forerunner Elijah, as Dr. Pocock observes." 
Lowth in loc. 



524 



PALESTINE. 



them, and the Lord ^ at the head of them/^ CSee Micah 
iv. 1, 2, 10, 13 ; also chap. vii. 8—20.) 

Zeph. iii. 14 — 20. " Sing^ O daughter of Zion, shout 

Israel,, be glad and rejoice with all the heart, daughter 
of Jerusalem. The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, 
he hath cast out thine enemy ; the King of Israel, even 
the Lord, is in the midst of thee ; thou shalt not see 
evil any more. In that day it shall be said to J erusalem, 
' Fear thou not -J and to Zion, ' Let not thine hands be 
slack.-' The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is 
mighty ; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy ; 
he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. 

1 will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn 
assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it 
was a burden. Behold, at that time I will undo all that 
afflict thee, and I will save hei that halteth, and gather 
her that was driven out, and I will get them fame and 
praise in every land where they have been put to shame. 
At that time will I bring you again, even in the time 
that I gather you : for I will make you a name and a 
praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back 
your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord.^^ 

Zech. ii. 6, 7, 10 — 12. ^'^Ho, ho, come forth, and flee 
from the land of the north, saith the Lord : for I have 
spread you abroad as the four wdnds of the heaven, saith 
the Lord. Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with 
the daughter of Babylon. Sing and rejoice, O daughter 
of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst 
of thee, saith the Lord. And the Lord shall inherit 
Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose 
Jerusalem again.^^ 

Zech. vii. 7—23. ''Thus saith the Lord of hosts, 

* Theb- King — even the Lord.] The Messiah, who is both their 
God and their King, shall conduct them as their captain and general, 
Compare Isaiah lii. 12 ; Hos. i. 11. Mr. Lowth in loc. 



ITS DESTINY. 



525 



Behold^ I will save my people from the east country, 
and from tlie west country. And I will bring tliem, 
and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem : and 
they shall be my people, . and I will be their God in 
truth and in righteousness. I will not be unto the 
residue of this people as in the former days. For the 
seed shall be prosperous, the vine shall give her fruit, 
and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens 
shall give their dew, and I will cause the remnant of 
this people to possess all these things. And it shall 
come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the 
heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel: so 
will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing. For thus 
saith the Lord of hosts. As I thought to punish you, 
when your fathers provoked me to wrath, and I 
repented not : so again have I thought in these days to 
do well unto Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah : 
fear ye not.^^ 

Zech. X. 5 — 12. "And I will strengthen the house of 
Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will 
bring them again to place them ; for I have mercy upon 
them, and they shall be as though I had not cast them 
off. And they of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, 
and their heart shall rejoice through wine : yea, their 
children shall see it, and be glad, their heart shall rejoice 
in the Lord. I will hiss for them, and gather them, for 
I have redeemed them : and they shall increase as they 
have increased. I will bring them again also out of the 
land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria, and I 
will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon, 
and place shall not be found for them. And I will 
strengthen them in the Lord, and they shall walk up and 
down in his name, saith the Lord.^' 

Luke xxi. 24. '^And Jerusalem shall be trodden 
down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles 
be fuimied.^^ 



o26 



PALESTINE. 



''What is meant by the times of the Gentiles is suffi- 
ciently plain from the circumstance of the expiration of 
those times being coupled in point of chronology with 
the return of Judah. When Judah begins to be restored, 
the 1260 years will be finished, and the judgments of 
God will go forth against the Roman empire under its last 
head. Hence it follows, as Bishop Newton observes, 
that 'the times of the Gentiles will be fulfilled, when the 
times of the four great kingdoms of the Gentiles, accord- 
ing to DanieFs prophecies, shall be expired, and the 
fifth kingdom, or the kingdom of Christ, shall be set 
up in their place, and the saints of the Most High shall 
take the kingdom and possess the kingdom for ever, 
even for ever and ever/ 

" Since this prediction was delivered, the Jews have 
been led away captive by the Romans, and to this present 
hour continue dispersed over the face of the whole earth. 
Jerusalem has never ceased to be trodden down of the 
Gentiles; being successively occupied by the Romans, 
the Persians, the Saracens, the Turks of the Seljukian 
race, the Egyptian cahphs, the Latin Christians, the 
Egyptian caliphs a second time, the Mamelukes, and the 
Turks of the Ottoman race. These last are its present 
masters. But, when the times of the Gentiles are ful- 
filled, when the 1260 years shall have expired, it will 
begin to be delivered out of ' their hands and to cease 
to be trodden down : and, at length, after all the political 
changes which it has witnessed, it will once more revert 
to its ancient possessors, the children of Judah. Thus are 
the Jews themselves, through the whole period, both of 
their dispersion and restoration, a standing evidence of 
the Divine mission of him whom they refuse to acknow- 
ledge as the promised Messiah.^' 

Acts i. 6. "When they, therefore, were come to- 

* Bishop Newton's Dissert. XX. ]yir. JVIede is of the s&me opinion 



ITS DESTINY. 



527 



getheT^ they asked of him, saving, Lord, wilt thou at 
this time restore again the kingdom to Israel ? And he 
said unto them. It is not for you to know the times or 
the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own 
power J' 

"They (the disciples) seem to have expected, that, 
when the Spirit was in so extraordinary a manner poured 
out, and the world, according to Christ^s prediction, (John 
xvi. 8,) convinced of sin, of righteousness, and of judg- 
ment, the whole nation of the Jews would own him for 
the Messiah, and so not only shake off its subjection to 
the Romans, but itself rise to very extensive and perhaps 
universal dominion. The word aitoxaQKrra.ms intimates 
the shattet^ed and weakened state in which Israel now was. 
And I cannot but think our Lord^s answer may inti- 
mate, it should at length be restored, though not imme- 
diately, or with all the circumstances they imagined ; 
which concession seems the most satisfactory answer 
to Rabbi Isaac^s objection against Christianity, from his 
mistaken sense of these words/^ * 

Eom. xi. 1, 2, 11, 12, 15—33 inclusive. "I say 
then. Hath God cast away his people ? God forbid. 
For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of 
the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his 
people which he foreknew. I say then. Have tiey 
stumbled that they should faU ? God forbid : but rather 
through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, 
for to provoke them to jealousy. Now, if the fall of 
them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of 
them the riches of the Gentiles ; how much more their 
fulness ? For if the casting away of them be the re- 
conciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them 
be, but life from the dead ? For if the first-fruit be 
holy, the lump is also holy : and if the root be holy, so 

* Dr Doddridge's Comment, in loc- 



528 



PALESTINE. 



are tlie branches. And if some of tlie branches be broken 
off, and thou, being a wild olive-tree, wert graffed in 
among them, and with them partakest of the root and 
fatness of the olive-tree ; boast not against the branches. 
But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the 
root thee. Thou wilt say then. The branches were 
broken off, that I might be graffed in. Well ; because 
of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by- 
faith. Be not highminded, but fear : For if God spared 
not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not 
thee. Behold therefore the goodness and seventy of God : 
on them which fell, severity ; but toward thee, goodness, 
if thou continue in his goodness ; otherwise thou also shalt 
be cut off. And they also, if they abide not in unbelief, 
shall be graffed in : for God is able to graff them in again. 
For if thou wert cut out of the olive-tree which is wild by 
nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good 
olive-tree : how much more shall these, which be the 
natural branches, be graffed into their own olive-tree? 
For 1 would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of 
this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits ; 
that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the 
fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel 
shall be saved : as it is written, There shall come out of 
Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness 
from Jacob : For this is my covenant unto them, when 
I shall take away their sins. As concerning the gospel, 
they are enemies for your sakes : but as touching the 
election, they are beloved for the fathers^ sakes. For 
the gifts and calHng of God are without repentance. 
For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have 
now obtained mercy through their unbelief; Even so 
have these also now not believed, that through your 
mercy they also may obtain misery. For God hath con- 
cluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy 



ITS DESTINY. 



529 



upon all. O the depth of the riches both of the ^nsdom 
and knowledge of God ! how unsearchable are his 
judgments^ and his ways past finding out ! 

^^The whole mysteiy of the call of the Gentiles, the 
rejection of the unhelieving Jews, and the final conversion of 
their postei'ity in the last ages^ is here very folly and 
explicitly set forth. The Jeics were rejected of God^ 
because they rejected and crucified the Messiah. But; 
when the fulness of the Gentiles shall have arrived, ov, as 
our Lord expresses it^ when the times of the Gentiles 
shall be fulfilled ; that is to say, when the times of the 
four great monarchies of the Gentiles shall have 
expired; and when the three times and a-half shall have 
come to their close : then shall the natural branches, 
now no longer abiding in unbehef, be graffed into the 
good ohre-tree of the chuixh. 

The events of the day shoW; that this coming of the ful- 
ness of the Gentiles cannot be very remote : for the last 
times of atheism and infidelity; so minutely described and 
predicted by the apostolic prophetS; have indisputably 
commenced : but the times of the Gentiles are not yet 
altogether fulfilled; their fulness has not yet perfectly 
arrived ; because we still behold the Jews led away captive 
through all nations. Nevertheless, when the appointed 
three times and a-half shall have expired; the Lord will 
assuredly begin a wonderful work on the earth. He will 
go forth in his WTath; and cut off those ingraffed branches 
that have not continued in his goodness : and at length, 
after the destruction of Antichrist is completed; all Israel^ 
in both his great divisions; shall be converted and saved. 
Glorious wiU be the inauguration of the ^liUennian Church , 
If the fall of the Jews have been hitherto the riches of the 
world ; and the diminishing of them, the riches of the 
Gentiles : how much more their fulness ! Li the hand of 
God, they shall be a most powerful instrument of spread- 



mo 



PALESTINE. 



ing the Gospel through all nations. The harvest of the 
first advent shall not be comparable to the harvest of the 
second advent. For the name of Christ shall be known 
from the east to the west ; and his praises shall be heard 
in the utmost parts of the earth. Israel shall be made the 
seed of the church ; and thus, from first to last, will prove 
the true Jezreel of God.'' (Hosea i. 11 ; ii. 22, 23.) * 

The foregoing prophecies clearly point out the lead- 
ing and momentous events involved in th.e future 
destiny of Palestine: its redemption from the curse 
that yet hangs over it — the renovation of its fertile 
and productive energies — the rebuilding of its cities, 
which now lie waste, and the revival of its dilapidated 
and fallen empire — the ingathering of Judah and 
Israel, and their return to their own land — the reunion 
and prosperity of the two kingdoms — the removal of 
the veil of unbelief, their conversion, and preeminent 
piety— the defeat and overthrow of the great Anti- 
christian confederacy of the beast, the false prophet, 
and the kings of the whole Ecumene or Roman world 
—and the triumphant reign of the Messiah in majesty 
and great glory, during a period of 1000 years. These 
events are announced in language so clear and explicit, 
that it is difficult to conceive how any one, who has 
investigated the prophetiq writings with impartiality 
and care, can entertain a doubt upon the subject. A 
practice has lately obtained of spiritualizing the prophe- 
cies, of explaining away their legitimate and obvious 
import, and, by a tortuous and illogical train of reason- 
ing, making the J ews mean the Gentiles, the restora- 
tion of the former to Palestine the introduction of the 
latter into the kingdom of heaven, and the personal 
and visible reign of the Messiah the prevalence of true 

* Faber on the Prophecies, vol. i. pp. 330 331. 



ITS DESTINY. 



531 



religion and the conversion of the world to Christianity. 
This latitudinarian mode of construing the prophecies 
is contrary to all the rules of just and sober interpreta- 
tion, and has done immense mischief to the cause of 
Divine truth. It has created difficulties and ambigui- 
ties where there were none, augmented those that are, 
and clouded, by the mists of human conjecture, the 
radiations of the Inspired page. Instead of making 
the word of God bend to our preconceived theories and 
quadrate with our views, we should make our theories 
and opinions bow and do homage to the word of God, 
and silently adore where we cannot comprehend. The 
prophecies that have been accomplished are interpreted 
literally. The predictions concerning the Jews, the 
downfal of Tyre, the overthrow of the Assyrian and 
Babylonian empires, the first advent of the Messiah, the 
destruction of Jerusalem, and the desolation of Judsea, 
are taken in their natural and obvious signification. 
Why should not the same rule of construction be 
applied to those that yet remain to be accomplished ? 
Why should the first advent of Christ be understood 
literally, and the secoad advent spiritually ? the disper- 
sion of the Jews as a reality, and their restoration as a 
metaphor? the destruction of Jerusalem as a positive 
event, and its promised reerection as a creation of the 
fancy? If this vague and eccentric method of inter- 
pretation be allowed, where shall we draw the line of 
demarcation between fiction and truth, between the 
flights of imagination and the revelations of the 
Spirit ? 

Tliat the theory of a literal restoration has its diffi- 
culties, and involves events beyond the ordinary course 
of Providence, is not denied. But this objection will 
apply with almost equal force to every prophecy. Are 
we to measure the resources of the Divine mind — the 
capabilities of Omnipotence — by the narrow gauge of 



532 



PALESTINE. 



human probability ? Is anything impossible with 
God? 

Mr. Ransom objects to the Hteral restoration of the 
Jews on the ground of the " difficulties with which the 
theory is encumbered/^ " There are/^ says he, " two 
classes of difficulties encumbering the theory — those 
arising from the magnitude of the events necessarily 
implied, and those arising from the ordinary course of 
things. 

First. Difficulties arising from the magnitude of the 
events necessarily implied. 

If the Jews are restored to Palestine, it must be by 
one or other of the following agencies : — 

I. By the operation of moral principles. 

The restoration, whatever it involves, is promised 
only on repentance. They must be converted almost 
simultaneously throughout the world, or, by the slow 
process of individual conversion that has hitherto 
marked the history of the church, they will be merged 
in the general body of behevers, and their nationality 
be lost. The nation must be 'born in a day.^ Then 
there must be an equally powerful operation of moral 
principles on other nations. The political aspect of 
the world's affairs must undergo a wonderful mutation. 
Palestine must change its present masters, for others 
who will be friendly to the Jews, literal interpreters of 
prophecy, and obedient to the heavenly vision. The 
tyranny of those who now possess Jerusalem must be 
subdued by foreign force, brought into exercise by 
conviction of the justice of the cause, or be vanquished 
by principle operating on the tyrant possessors themselves, 
and the restoration be the fruit of a holy war, or of the 
voluntary ^^ation of the land — the free renunciation of 
pnv\^er, territory, home. Where shall the self-ejected 
wanderers go ? Such an operation of moral principle is an 
event too improbable to be expected, while the prophecies 



ITS DESTINY. 



533 



are capable of another, an easier^ and a more consistent 
interpretation than such an event imphes. 

2. By the silent workings of Proyidence on their 
behalf. 

Doubtless the Lord; who turneth the hearts of men as 
the rivers of water^ could easily secure the literal fulfil- 
ment of the prophecies in question ; but, however easy to 
him to whom nothing is hard, a hteral restoration, pro- 
duced by the silent workings of Providence, employing all 
necessary agencies, would yet suppose such wondrous 
changes, such a revolution in the workVs affairs, an exer- 
cise of power on the minds and circumstances of men so 
unparalleled in human experience, that its natural impro- 
babihty, connected with its v\-ant of agreement with the 
spiritual nature of the Christian dispensation, and with 
the consideration that another and more consistent inter- 
pretation may be given, appears sufficient ground for 
regarding it as an event, involving in its magnitude a 
powerful objection against the probability of its occurrence. 

3. By force of arms. Either the Jews themselves, or 
themselves in league with others, must be the warriors to 
subdue ; or other nations, urged by principle, as before 
supposed, or by interest, must effect the conquest for 
them. If the former, the changes in their habits, their 
resources, their relative consequence among the nations^ 
must be so great, that credulity itself must be tasked to 
believe it possible, and faith be nobly tried, if, without 
alternative, she were called on to admit that prophecy 
foretold it. If the latter — the intervention of other na- 
tions — the task for creduhty and the trial of faith would 
be equally imposing. Besides, Christ has said, ' If my 
kingdom were of this world, then should my servants 
fight ; but now is my kingdom not from hence/ 

4. By the intervention of mu'aculous power. In how 
many ways Omnipotence might interfere, no finite being 



534 



PALESTINE. 



may presume to say; but modes enough of possible 
operatioiGi may be imagined by which to estimate the 
value of the supposition in debate. By a mighty exercise 
of overruling energy, the veil of unbelief might at once be 
torn away from the heart of Israel_, the desire to revisit 
Palestine pervade their minds and fire their souls_, the 
means of realization created, and every people bow to the 
Divine decree, to ^ Let the rigteous nation in / but the 
still small voice of Gospel truth says ^No !^ its disclosures 
render such an exercise of power unnecessary, its light 
reveals an ampler fulfilment of ancient promise than any 
such exercise of power would realize. I conclude, that 
the magnitude of the events necessarily implied, presents 
a difficulty which forms a strong objection to the doctrine 
of a literal restoration, while the prophecies supposed to 
predict that event aie easily and more consistently 
explicable upon other principles. 

Secondly. Difficulties arising from the ordinary 
course of things. 

If the J ews continue to exist as a distinct nation after 
their conversion, one of two circumstances, differing 
from the circumstances attendant on the conversion of 
other nations, must occm*. I mean what has been just 
mentioned, a simultaneous conversion, or a maintained 
distinctiveness after conversion, unprecedented by any 
known fact in the history of the world. For what nation 
has been ' born at once T What people naturalized in a 
land, and undistinguished by opinions, or municipal 
privileges, have failed to lose their national character by 
intermarriages and the various intercourse of life with those 
among whom they have dwelt? Whole multitudes of 
Jews in the primitive age of the church, lost their 
national character, when they gained admission into the 
kmgdom of Christ; but if it had been intended that 
their national distinction should be perpetuated, why are 



ITS DESTINY. 



535 



not the descendants of those Christianized Jews^ (recog- 
nised as such,) now resident among the nations, and 
waiting for the further consolation of Israel ? * 

These paragraphs may be very properly headed^ 
"Difficulties in the Way of Omnipotence/^ Let the* 
same class of objections be applied to the exodus from 
Egypt — the conquest and expulsion of the Canaanites 
— the occupation of Palestine by the children of Israel 
— and other equally improbable events connected with 
the first great fulfilment of the Abrahamic covenant ; 
and their futility will be at once apparent. Jehovah 
knows nothing of difficulties ; obstacles vanish at the 
bidding of him who 

** Laughs at impossibilities, 
And says, It shall be done." 

With the Almighty Ruler of the universe^ to will is to 
accomplish — to design is to succeed. " His purpose shal 
stand, and he will do all his pleasure/^ " He speaksr 
and it is done; he commands, and it stands fast/' 
The argument deduced from the " difficulties that 
encumber the theory/^ is not more effective against the 
return of the Jews than it is against the theory of the 
creation, or the great mysteries of the Christian faith. 

Mr. Kansom further urges " the silence of the New 
Testament on the subject.^^ " The New Testament/' 
says he, is indeed in perfect harmony with the pre- 
dictions of the Old, that, ultimately, ' all shall know the 
Lord / but it does not hint, in the remotest way, at a 
literal restoration of the Jews to the national possession 
and inheritance of their own land.^^ 

Without going into the subject at length, it is sub- 
mitted that many quotations might be adduced from 
the discourses and conversations of our Lord, from the 
book of Revelation, and from the writings of St. Peter 

* Ransom's Biblical Topography, pp. 404—406 



536 



PALESTINE, 



and St. Paul, which, if they do not directly assert, 
obviously imply the certainty of that event.* Though 
much stress is laid on the supposed silence of the New 
Testament writers on this subject, it is suggested that 
this is scarcely fair. The old dispensation was a 
shadowy one, and a figure of that which succeeded it. 
It related primarily to the literal J erusalem ; spiritually, 
to the Christian church ; and figuratively to the 
united church, consisting of Jews and Gentiles in 
millennial glory. The business, therefore, of the 
Evangelists and Apostles was to trace out the sub- 
stance of the shadow — to fill up the great outline. 
The Jews, in the days of the Apostles, needed to have 
their minds drawn in a particular manner to the 
spirituality of religion ; and it being in the Divine pur- 
pose, ere the close of the sacred canon, to make a more 
full development of the glory that should follow, it 
were absurd to draw an unfavoui'able conclusion merely 
because the New Testament does not recapitulate the 
prophecies contained in the Old, with which the Jews 
were familiar, and concerning which not a doubt was 
entertained. The design of the New Testament writers 
was, not to supply needless information upon a subject 
already clearly revealed and perfectly understood, but 
to elucidate and proclaim those truths and facts 
respecting which the greatest amount of ignorance and 
unbelief existed. The name of Christ is not mentioned 
in the Law or the Prophets ; but would it not be deemed 
an inconsequent deduction to conclude from this verbal 
omission that Christ is not the antitype of the one, and 
the substance prefigured by the other ? 

It has further been objected that the " end for which 
God kept the J ews distmct, has been answered in the birth 
of the Messiah .^^ To this the friends of the restoration 

* See an excellent pamphlet, entitled *' The Voice of the New Tes- 
tament concerning t.h« Jews," hy the Rev. Dr. Marsh, of Leamington. 



ITS DESTINY. 



587 



miglit reply, if this were the only object of their segrega- 
tion, if no ulterior end were contemplated, why are they 
still kept as a distinct nation ? Why do they not all, as 
some individuals of them have done, amalgamate with the 
inhabitants of the countries where they dwell ? Why, after 
all the wars and conquests and dispersions, the fearful 
judgments, persecutions, and proscriptions which mark 
their history for the last 2000 years, do they yet exist as a 
distinct and identified people ? Why is the bush of Moses 
ever burning yet never consumed ? It would be greatly to 
the interest and happiness of the Jews wholly to abandon 
Judaism, and merge their odious individuality in the 
nations among whom they are scattered. What is it then 
that has, and still does, so effectually prevent this result ? 
Surely nothing but the sovereign purpose of Jehovah to 
mark them out by some national distinction for some 
national object hitherto unaccomplished. God has not 
cast away his people ; all Israel shall be saved/' And 
surely there is reasonable ground of hope, that as the pre- 
dicted curses, because of their sins, have come literally and 
fully upon them, so, likewise, will the mercies promised, 
when they shall appoint them one head, and come up out 
of the land ; for great shall be the day of J ezreel.'^ (Hosea 
i-ll-) 

It is also worthy of notice, that the exiled Jews are 
so situated that, when the appointed time arrives, their 
return to Palestine will be practicable and easy. They 
have no country to call their own — no home — no local 
attachments. Their predilections still centre in Canaan; 
they are strangers and sojourners, as their fathers were be- 
fore them. They have no landed property ; nor do they 
intermarry with other nations, so as to be hindered by 
family alliances and attachments from returning to the 
land of their fathers. " That in all the countries where 
they are/' says a late writer, "they should, generally 



538 



PALESTINE. 



speaking, have no property, either in houses or lands, no 
heritable possession or share in the government, or anything 
to detain them from returning to their native country, in 
case an opportunity should happen, looks as if Providence 
intended one day to turn back their captivity, and to put 
them in possession of their ancient inheritance. The many 
disappointments which that people have met with in 
attempting to obtain a settlement, or the privileges of 
citizens, in different countries, may, indeed, be looked upon 
as a punishment, and part of the curse that lies upon them 
for their sin in crucifying the Saviour, and continuing so 
long to reject his Gospel, and doubtless it is ; but when we 
consider the kindness of Providence to them in other re- 
spects, his preserving, supporting, and even multiplying 
them, notwithstanding the numberless massacres and per- 
secutions they have sustained ; when we consider these 
things, we cannot help thinking that Providence^ in disap- 
pointing them of a settlement, has some other end in view 
besides punishing them for their infidelity. If we deny 
the restoration of the Jews, we shall find it hard to account 
for their prosperity ; but, if we admit of their future re- 
storation, then the reason, not only of their wordly pros- 
perity, but of all the other dispensations of Providence 
towards them, is most apparent. He denies them a settle- 
ment in the countries where they are, to prevent their 
having any attachment to them, and that they may be 
under no temptation to stay still, or look back, whensoever 
they are called in the course of Providence to remove ; and 
for this reason, also, he suffers them to be hated and per- 
secuted, that they may be the more willing to quit the 
places where they are so used ; and, lastly, he endows them 
with riches, that they may have wherewith to support 
themselves on their journey to their native country, and to 
establish themselves, therein : for, as many of them live at 
a great distance from Palestine, to travel so far, and to 
erect a settlement for themselves in a country almost de- 



ITS DESTINY. 



539 



solate, is a thing not to be done without considerable 
wealth ; and their being endowed with such wealthy as it 
renders their return possible^ so it adds to the probability 
of it. Thus, both the kindness and severity of Providence 
towards this people serve to confirm the doctrine we have 
been endeavouring to prove, viz., their future restoration 
and conversion.''^ 

That throughout all the changes which have happened 
in the kingdoms of the earth from the days of Moses to 
the present time, which is more than 3300 years, nothing 
should have happened to prevent the possibility of the 
accomphshment of these prophecies, but, on the contrary, 
that the state of the Jewish, and Christian, and heathen 
nations at this day should be such as renders them easily 
capable, not only of a figurative, but even of a literal com- 
pletion in every particular, (if the will of God be so,) this 
is a miracle which hath nothing parallel to it in the 
phenomena of nature. In regard to the past, the most 
wonderful and amazing facts, such as never occurred 
among any other people, form the ordinary narrative of 
the history of the Jews, and fulfil literally the prophecies 
concerning them. These prophecies are ancient as the 
oldest records in existence. They are clear in their mean- 
ing as any history can be. Many of them are apparently 
contradictory, irreconcileable, and, at the time of their 
utterance, would have been pronounced impracticable; 
and yet history proves them to be all literally true, and 
identified in every particular with the fate and present 
condition of the Jews. What then is the conclusion fairly 
deducible from these facts ? The literal and exact fulfil- 
ment of prophecies which the past history of the Jews ex- 
hibits — their miraculous preservation amid all the vicissi- 
tudes and perils of the last 2000 years — their existing 
national distinctness and complete separation from other 
people, notwithstanding all the efforts that have 



540 



PALESTINE. 



been made to destroy their identity — the absence of 
local attachments or family alliances with the nations 
among whom they sojourn — their strong desire to revisit 
and repossess their native country — their ample means 
of doing so whenever an opportunity shall present itself 
— the diminution and removal of the obstacles which 
have hitherto impeded their return — the enfeeblement 
and declension of the Ottoman power_, almost the only 
hindrance now remaining; these and other circum- 
stances connected with the present condition of the 
J ews, and the political prognostics of the world, furnish 
strong collateral evidence in support of the doctrine for 
which we contend, viz. that those prophecies which are 
yet unfulfilled will be effectuated in a manner similar 
to those that have already received their accomplish- 
ment, that is, literally, and in accordance with the 
obvious and legitimate import of prophetic language. 
Unless it be so, unless the lost ten tribes are found, 
and, together with the dispersed of J udah, restored to 
their own country, there are many predictions that 
never have been and never will be verified. The Rev. 
J. S. Frey, speaking of the thirty-seventh chapter of 
Ezekiel, says, '^This allegory may be considered as a 
partial description of the state of our people in Babylon, 
and their unexpected deliverance from it. It may also 
in some sense, be applied to the conversion of every 
sinner ; but God himself interprets it of the future re- 
storation, conversion, and reunion of the ten tribes 
with the house of J udah. It is evident that neither 
this vision nor the remainder of the chapter can be said 
to have received its full accomplishment in the return 
of our people from Babylon, or in the conversion of any 
sinner. It is not applicable to the return from Babylon^ 
for the following reasons : — 

The number of the ten tribes that may have returned 



ITS DESTINY. 



541 



with Judah was too small to constitute a full assurance of 
this prophecy, which is expressly applied to ^ the whole 
house of IsraeV Those who were to return are described 
as ' an exceeding great army / but those who returned 
from Babylon were very far from answering this descrip- 
tion. The people to whom the promises in this chapter be- 
long had been scattered far and wide, to the four winds 
of heaven. They are said to be gathered ' from all the hea- 
then/ from all nations, to be gathered ' on every side / 
but, during the Babylonish captivity, our people were 
located in one neighbourhood. Again, they are to return 
to the land which had been ^ always desolate -j which is 
peculiarly applicable to the land of our fathers since their 
dispersion, by the Romans. The pious character of the 
people that were to return, and the pleasure and delight 
God would have in the midst of them, is not applicable 
to the character of our people after their return from 
Babylon, for they were more abandoned and wicked 
after than they had been before. Though the company 
which returned with Zerubbabel were many of them 
godly people, yet the whole history of our nation, from 
thence to the coming of Christ, is far from answering 
to what is said of them in this prophecy — that they 
should ^walk in God^s judgments, to observe his 
statutes, and do them.^ Such promises, also, as /-his 
tabernacle being with them, and his sanctuary in the 
midst of them for evermore,^ seem to be much too 
strong for the above period. 

Further, Ephraim and the tribes joined with him, 
and Judah, together with his associates, are to return 
and become one nation upon the mountains of Israel, 
which certainly has never yet been accomplished. 
Again, it is promised that, after this union shall have 
been effected, David, God's servant, shall be king over 
them, and he shall be their prince /or ever. Now, it is 



542 



PALESTINE. 



evident that our people^ after their return from Babylon, 
had no temporal prince of David^s line to reign over 
them, nor have they had one since ; but, after their re- 
turn from their present lost condition, Christ Jesus, 
the Messiah, the true David, shall reign over them for 
ever and ever. (Hosea iii. 4, 5.) Observe, also, that 
it is declared in the strongest terms, that God would 
never again cast them off, or disinherit them. This is 
certainly not applicable to their first return ; for, in a 
very few centuries, they were again cast off, and more 
miserably wasted than before. The time when this 
prediction is to be fulfilled is called ^ the latter days ' 
— a phrase which always refers to the time subsequent 
to the first coming of the Messiah. (See chap, xxxviii. 
8, 16, 17.) Lastly, you will notice, that in connexion 
with this prophecy, in the next three chapters, mention 
is made of a war waged against the inhabitants of 
J udsea, immediately after their return, and before they had 
had time to fortify their cities. The invading enemy is 
represented as a more numerous and formidable army 
than had ever assembled before Jerusalem ; as " an ex- 
ceeding great company, with bucklers and shields, all 
of them handling swords ; horses and horsemen, all of 
them clothed with all sorts of armour ; Persia, Ethiopia, 
and Libya with them, all of them with shield and 
helmet ; Gomer, and all ' his bands ; the house of 
Togarmah, of the north quarters, and all his bands, 
and many people with him.'' The discomfiture and 
destruction of this confederated armament, and the 
deliverance of Israel, are ascribed to the immediate in- 
terposition and power of God — to a miracle — and that 
too of the most extraordinary and appalling character ; 
but, it is undeniable that, from the days of Ezekiel to 
the present time, no events have taken place cor- 
responding to the language and import of these pre- 



ITS DESTINY. 



543 



dictions. From a consideration of all these things 
together^ we may certainly conclude that this prophecy 
has never yet had its accomplishment, but refers to an 
event still future,, and which is not to happen till after 
my dear people are again settled in their own land of 
Canaan, and Ephraim and Judah again united in one 
nation, under the happy reign of David, their Lord and 
King, for ever and ever." (Ezek. xxxvii. 34.)* A 
writer in the " Jewish Expositor," judiciously observes, 
*^ That this chapter (Ezek. xxxvii.) is not to be ap- 
plied in an allegorical sense, or applied to the Gentile 
churches, is evident from verses 21 and 23 : for how can 
the churches of the Gentiles, or Christians in general, 
become one nation upon the mountains of Israel ? Do 
not the stick of J udah and the stick of J oseph, which 
are to become one, evidently mean the two kingdoms 
of Judah and Israel which had been divided ? These are 
the true and literal children of Israel, which are to be 
taken from among the heathen, and not any allegorical 
offspring, as some commentators suppose, and thus 
obscure some of the most clear and plain passages in 
the Scripture prophecies. If then, a literal restoration 
of Israel is here intended, it is plain that the prophecy 
is not yet fulfilled, from verse 25, where it is said that 
after the restoration here spoken of, ^ they shall dwell 
in the land of their forefathers, they and their children, 
and their children's children for ever' This we cannot 
suppose to have been verified by any former return, as 
they have since been dispersed among all nations. 
This prophecy, therefore, is yet to be fulfilled ; though 
not without some powerful opposition, which shall be 
unsuccessfully made against it by some great and 
populous nations in the latter days ; which is the sub- 
ject of the following two chapters." Matthew Henry, 

* Judah and Tsrael, pp. 247—249. 



644 



PALESTINE. 



in Ms introduction to this chapter, says — " God has 
assured them, in the foregoing chapter, that he would 
gather the house of Israel, even all of it, and would 
bring them to their own land; but there were two 
things which rendered this very unlikely : — 

1st. That they were so dispersed amongst their 
enemies, so destitute of all helps and advantages which 
might favour or follow them on their return, and so 
dispirited likewise in their own minds upon all those 
accounts. They are here in vision compared to a 
valley full of dry bones of dead men, which should 
be brought together, and raised to life. (Ver. 1 — 14.) 

2ndly. They were so much divided among themselves, 
so much of the old core remaining even in their cap- 
tivity. But as to this, by a sign of two sticks made 
one in the hand of the prophet, is foreshown the happy 
condition that should be at their return between the 
two nations of Israel and Judah.^^ (Ver. 15 — 22.) 

Dr. Scott remarks, on verse 25, " This cannot pos- 
sibly be interpreted of any events that took place before 
the coming of Christ ; and, after his coming, the J ews 
were soon driven from their own land, and have never 
regained possession of it ; yet the language is so ex- 
pressive, that it seems plainly to mean that the Jews 
should dwell in Canaan, under the rule of Christ, from 
the time intended, through all generations to the end 
of the whole.^-* 

Mr. Faber, having adduced a host of passages to 
prove the restoration and conversion of Judah, proceeds 
to say, — " But the lost ten tribes of Israel are still 
dispersed through the extensive regions of the north 
and of the east. These, according to the sure word of 
prophecy, however they may be now concealed from 
mortal knowledge, will be found again, and will be 
brought back into the countries of their fathers. Aii 



ITS DESTINY. 



545 



nations and all tongues shall come and see tlie glory of 
tlie Lord ; for lie will set among them a sign, even the 
sign of the Son of man, the sign of the illuminated 
Shechinah'j and will send unto them those that have 
escaped from the slaughter of the antichristian con- 
federacy, that they may declare his glory among the 
nations. Convinced by ocular demonstration, that God 
doth indeed reign in Zion, and at once divinely im- 
pelled and enabled both to seek out from among them, 
and to find the long-lost sheep of the house of Israel, 
they will bring by land, in vast caravans, all the 
brethren ofJudah for an offering unto the Lord, as 
the great maritime power had already brought the 
converted Jews for a present unto the Lord to his holy 
mountain. Then shall the stick of Joseph be united 
for ever with the stick of Judah : Ephraim shall be no 
more a separate people, but the whole house of J acob 
shall become one nation under one King, even the 
mystic David, Jesus the Messiah. 

The various prophecies, which speak of the restora- 
tion of the ten tribes, certainly cannot relate to the 
restoration of those detached individuals out of them, 
who returned with Judah from the Babylonian captiv- 
ity. This is manifest, both because their restoration 
is represented as perfectly distinct from the restoration 
of Judah, and because it is placed at once subsequent 
to that event, and to the overthrow of Antichrist. In 
fact, the converted fugitives from the armies of Anti- 
christ are described as being greatly instrumental in 
bringing about the restoration of the ten tribes. Hence 
their restoration is plainly future ; and hence we cannot 
with any degree of consistency apply the predictions 
which foretel it, to the return of a few individuals from 
Babylon with Judaa. Of the Jews who were carried 
away captive to Babylon, only a very small part — accord- 

A 



546 



PALESTINE. 



ing to Houliegarij not more tlian a hundredth part — 
returned to their own country. Those who were left 
behind will, doubtless, at the time of the second advent, 
be brought back along with their brethren of the ten 
tribes ; just as those individuals of the ten tribes, who 
returned with Judah from Babylon, and (adhering to 
him notwithstanding the Samaritan schism) were after- 
wards scattered with him by the Romans, wiU be 
brought back with their brethren the Jews. So far, 
but no farther, the otherwise distinct restoration of 
Judah and of Joseph will in some measure be mingled 
together. This circumstance is very accurately noted 
by Ezekiel, even when predicting the twofold restora- 
tion of Judah and Joseph, and their subsequent union 
under one king. He speaks neither of Judah nor 
Joseph simply ; but styles the one division, Judah and 
the children of Israel his companions ; and the other 
division, Joseph and aU the house of Israel his com- 
panions; thus plainly intimating that some of the 
children of Israel shall return with Judah; but that 
numbers of all the tribes, not of the kingdom of the 
ten tribes only, but of all the tribes, shall return with 
Joseph.^^ 

The same events are foretold, in terms equally ex- 
plicit, in Zech. xii. 10 — 14. There is to be a great 
mourning in Jerusalem, as' the mourning of Hadadrim- 
mon ; a spirit of general contrition and broken-hearted- 
ness, on account of the rejection and crucifixion of the 
Messiah; consequently, Jerusalem will be rebuilt. 
(Compare Jer. xxx. 8 — 11, 18, 31, 38 — 40; Zech. xii. 
1-8.) 

" That we may perceive," says Dr. Fuller, " the con- 
nexion of the prophecy, (Zech. xii.) it will be proper 
to observe, that chapter xi. contains a prediction of the 
overthrow of the Jewish nation by the Romans : but 



ITS DESTINY. 



547 



chapter xii. contains a prophecy of their restoration ; 
and this is, therefore, called ' the burden of the word 
of the Lord/ ver. 1 . 

The events of this and the foregoing prophecy, 
though asunder as to time, yet very properly follow 
each other. Paul takes but little notice of the state of 
the Jews, during their long dispersion: but, passing 
over that chasm, as included in their being broken off, 
proceeds to speak of their being graffed on again, 
Rom. xi. 

It were presumptuous to be very positive as to the 
meaning of a prophecy which is yet to be accom- 
plished j but, comparing it with other prophecies of the 
same event, the following particulars appear to be con- 
veyed by it 

1st. That the Jews will be restored to their own land 
prior to their conversion, ver. 6. 

2nd. That a grand combination will be formed against 
them, with a view to dispossess them, ver. 2, 9. 

3rd. That the nations engaged in this combination 
will be repulsed and sorely punished for their presump- 
tuous attempt, ver. 2— -6. 

4th. That the country and city shaU be united 
against the enemy, ver. 5, 7. 

5th. That they shall be guarded by Providence, and 
strengthened to encounter the greatest difficulties, 
ver. 8. 

6th. That, after these temporal interpositions, the 
Lord will pour upon them a spirit of grace and of sup- 
plications ; and they shall lament over their sins, and 
the sins of their fathers, particularly in having crucified 
the Lord of glory, ver. 10. 

Finally, The remedy to all this grief is mentioned, 
chap. xiii. 1, 'In that day there shall be a fountain 
opened to the house of David, and to the inhabitanta 



548 



PALESTINE. 



of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness/ By look- 
ing to Jesus^ they were wounded ; and by looking to 
Jesus they are healed. The first-fruits of this great 
work appeared on the day of Pentecost, when thousands 
were pricked to the heart, repented, and were baptized 
in that name which they had despised ; but the lump is 
yet to appear. Blessed be the Lord God, the God of 
Israel, who only doeth wondrous things : and blessed 
be his glorious name for ever : and let the whole earth 
be filled with his glory. Amen and amen.^^ 

The transactions of that momentous period are thus 
summed up by the learned and judicious Bishop New- 
ton : — 

'^When these great events shall come to pass, of 
which we collect from the prophecies this to be the 
proper order, the Protestant witnesses shall be greatly 
exalted, and the 1260 years of their prophesying in 
sackcloth, and of the tyranny of the beast, shall end 
together ; the restoration and conversion of the Jews 
succeed ; then follows the ruin of the Ottoman empire ; 
and then the total destruction of Rome and of Anti- 
christ. When these great events shall come to pass, 
then shall the kingdom of Christ commence, or the 
reign of saints upon earth. Daniel expressly informs 
us, that the kingdom of Christ and the saints will be 
raised upon the ruins of the kingdom of Antichrist. 
(Chap. vii. 26, 27.) So likewise, St. John saith, that, 
upon the final destruction of the beast and of the false 
prophet, ^ Satan is bound,^ &c. (Rev. xx. 2 — 6.) It 
is, I conceive, to these great events — ^the fall of Anti- 
christ, the reestablishment of the J ews, and the begin- 
ning of the glorious Millennium, that the three difi*erent 
dates in Daniel, of 1260 years, 1290 years, and 1335 
years, are to be referred. And as Daniel saith, ' Blessed 
is he that waiteth, and cometh to the 1335 years,' (Dan, 



ITS DESTINY. 



549 



xii. 12j) so St. John saith, ' Blessed and holy is he that 
hath part in the first resurrection.' (Rev. xx. 6.) 
Blessed and happy, indeed, will be that period ; and it 
is very observable, that the martyrs and confessors of 
Jesus, in Papist as well as in Pagan times, will be raised 
to partake of this felicity. Then shall all those gracious 
promises in the Old Testament be fulfilled, of the 
amplitude and extent, of the peace and prosperity, of 
the glory and happiness of the church in the latter days. 
Then, in the full sense of the words, shall ' the king- 
doms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord 
and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever.' 
(Eev. xi. 15.) According to tradition, these thousand 
years of the reign of Christ and the saints will be the 
seventh millenary of the world ; for, as God created the 
world in six days, and rested on the seventh, so the 
world, it is argued, will continue 6000 years, and the 
seventh thousand will be the great sabbatism, or holy 
rest of the people of God; 'one day being with the 
Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one 
day.' (2 Pet. iii. 8.) According to tradition, too^ 
these thousand years of the reign of Christ and the 
saints are the great day of judgment, in the morning, 
or beginning, whereof shall be the coming of Christ in 
flaming fire, the judgment of Antichrist, and the first 
resurrection ; and in the evening, or conclusion, whereof 
shall be the general resurrection of the dead, small and 
great, and ' they shall be judged every man according 
to his works.' " * 

With respect to the time when these events shall take 
place, this also, is definitely marked out by our Lord, 
by St. Paul, and by Daniel. Our Lord assures us that 
Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until 
the times of the Gentiles he fulfilled J'' These "times of the 

* Dissertations on the Prophecies. 



550 



PALESTINE. 



Gentiles are no indefinite period ; but, by the consent' of 
our best commentators, denote either the times of the four 
great monarchies, or, (what amounts to the same thing in 
point of termination,) the three times and a-half which 
indicate the last times of the last monarchy. Jerusalem 
is to be trodden down of the Gentiles, and the Jews dis- 
persed and banished till the times of the Gentiles are ful- 
filled ; but when those times are fulfilled, when the 
present prophetic period has reached its close, they will be 
dispersed no longer, and Jerusalem will cease to be 
trodden down by aliens. In other words, when the 
"time, times, and a half ^' — equivalent to the 1260 prophetic 
days — shall have expired, the Jews will begin to be restored. 
In harmony with this declaration of our Lord, St. Paul 
assures us, that " blindness in part is happened to Israel " 
for a specified period — " until the fulness (of the times) 
of the Gentiles be come but, when that fulness is come, 
then the promised Deliverer shall come out of Zion, 
and " all Israel shall be saved.'' Here again, the be- 
ginning of the restoration of Israel is fixed at the com- 
pletion of the times, or dispensation of the Gentiles, or 
the expiration of the 1260 years. 

The prophet Daniel gives precisely the same view of 
the subject. He teaches ns that to the end of the 
period of wonders (or of remarkable events) there shall 
be a time, times, and half a time ; and that when all the 
wonders comprehended within that period shall be ac- 
complished, the power of the holy people shall cease to 
be scattered. " Until how long shall be the end of the 
wonders ? It shall be until a time, times, and a half; 
and, when he shall have finished to scatter the power of 
the holy people, (or, as Mr. Wintle renders the passage, 
'when he shall have accomplished the scatterings of 
the holy people,'') all these wonders (great national 
commotions) shall be finished.^' (Dan. xii. 6, 7.) Here 



ITS DESTINE. 



551 



the termination of the period of wonders is made to 
synchronize with the completion of the scatterings of 
the holy people,, and the commencement of their re- 
storation, or the introduction of that period denomi- 
nated by Daniel the time of the endJ' This^ as may 
be gathered from other parts of the book of Daniel, 
denotes a period of 75 years^ which commences at the 
expiration of the 1260 years^ and extends to the be- 
ginning of the Millennium. It is evident that the 
people of Judah will be restored first partly in a con- 
verted and partly in an unconverted state ; their re- 
storation will probably occupy about 30 years. During 
the subsequent 45 years, the residue of the time of the 
end, the lost ten tribes will be gathered in from their 
wanderings, restored to their alienated inheritance, 
united to the people of Judah, and the two kingdoms 
will then coalesce, and form one peaceful^ powerful, 
triumphant empire. 

The greatest difficulty, perhaps, is in determining the 
exact chronological era when the 1260 years commenced. 
Daniel fixes it at the delivering of the saints into the hand 
of the papal little horn ; corresponding to the sounding of 
the first woe trumpet, which is generally referred to the 
rise of the Mohammedan imposture. That event took 
place in the year 606, and' in the very same year the 
saints were given into the hand of the little horn, by the 
grant of universal episcopacy to the pope. If this theory 
be founded on correct data, and if the Jews are to be 
restored at the close of the 1260 years, at the pouring 
out of the seventh vial, at the time of the end, or during 
that period of unexampled trouble and commotion in 
the course of which the great Antichristian confederacy 
shall be finally overthrown in Palestine, then the re- 
storation of the race of Abraham will begin in the year 
1866, and be completed in the year 1941, when the 



552 



PALESTINE. 



Messiah, will make his appearance, and the period of 
millennial glory be introduced. Whether this com- 
putation be correct or not, the epoch referred to is 
evidently not very remote. The political convulsions 
that have recently agitated Europe — the commotions 
that are now tearing and uprooting the empires of the 
East — the visible decline of the Ottoman power — the 
unexampled increase of knowledge — the spread of in- 
fidelity and atheism — the revival of Popery — and other 
convulsive heavings of the social system, indicate the 
approximation of a crisis in the history of the world of 
no ordinary character. The elements of storm are 
gathering in the horizon ; symptoms of a mighty con- 
flict are apparent ; the combatant armies that have been 
hitherto skirmishing and menacing in the distance are 
drawing to closer quarters — are concentrating their 
forces, and marshaling them in hostile array ; and ere 
long the great decisive battle must be fought, and the 
majesty of Jehovah vindicated and proclaimed. There 
will be a war, a bloodless yet determined war of opinions 
and principles — a war of light against darkness — of 
truth against error — of righteousness against iniquity — 
of freedom against intolerance— of the kingdoms of this 
world against the kingdom of our God and of his Christ. 
Already this warfare has commenced — the campaign of 
principles is opened — the " battle-cry has gone forth. 
The constitution of the times is undergoing an important 
revolution; institutions of antiquity are trembling to 
their base; long-cherished prejudices are giving way; 
the states of Europe are beginning to look on the pro- 
scribed race of Israel with a more favourable eye ; and 
kings talk of becomiug their nursing fathers, and queens 
their nursing mothers.* The great river Euphrates is 

* A very remarkable change has taken place, since the commence- 
ment of the present century, in the treatment of the Jews by their 



ITS DESTINY. 



553 



drying up ; the once terrible Turkish empire is crum- 
bling into ruins ; and the obstacles that have hitherto 
interposed between the Jews and their ancient inherit- 
ance are fast disappearing. The signs of the times are 
eloquent and ominous ; they proclaim that the set 
time^^ for Jerusalem to be trodden down of the Grentiles 

former oppressors. Buonaparte made declarations in their favour, and 
gave them citizenship ; in which most countries subject to his arms 
followed him. Alexander published a ukase permitting the settlement 
of all Jewish converts in the royal establishment at Moscow. The 
very discussion of the subject in all states — the Protocol of the Congress 
at Aix-la- Chap ell e — and other similar movements, clearly indicate the 
abolition of tyranny over Judah, and the " accomplishment of the 
indignation against the holy people.' 

" A proclamation at Frankfort admitted the Jews to equal participa- 
tion in all rights and privileges. So did Saxony. A consistory of 
Israelites was established at Rome, An establishment was formed at 
Copenhagen (1803) to instruct their yauth. In 1800, the Church 
Missionary Society devoted a portion of its funds to the Jews. In 
1806, Buonaparte convened, at Paris, a Jewish Sanhedrim to re- 
organize their worship. They embraced this opportunity to appeal 
strongly to the justice and toleration of Christendom, to express grati- 
tude for the favour shown them by the Christian clergy, to state their 
views of the present state of their people, and their expectations con- 
cerning their restoration, to disavow several corruptions of the moral 
law, and to declare the superiority of the Divine books over the Talmud. 
This meeting was a means of rousing their nation to consider the 
subject. In 1809, arose the " London Society for Promoting Christianity 
amongst the Jews and bishops, princes, and clergy, nobles and laity, 
both Churchmen and Dissenters, united to speak peace to Jerusalem. 
In 1811, several of the Italian principalities permitted Jews to acquire 
landed property, &c.' 

The recent persecutions in Constantinople, and some German towns, 
appear to be providential means of collecting the Jews under that influ- 
ence which is to prepare them for returning to the worship of Abraham. 
Turkey may, probably, be led to expel all her Jewish population before 
her final overthrow. And, possibly, the Papal and Infidel powers, 
wherever they can act, may do the same, till they summon those Jews 
who remain unbelievers, to the last conflict against the converts and 
their faithful protectors." 

4 B 



554 



PALESTINE. 



is near its close ; and call upon the slumbering church 
to rouse from her lethargy to prepare for the fiery trial 
— for a time of persecution and peril ; for ^' the Lord 
hath a controversy with all nations,, and will plead with 
all fleshy and hath appointed a year of recompenses for 
the controversy of Zion ; a time to try all that are on 
the face of the earth/' (Isa. xxxiv. 8.) 

What, then, is the duty of Christians at the present 
crisis ? Is it not to seek, by every possible means, the 
spiritual enlightenment and salvation of the lost sheep 
of the house of Israel ? Long and criminally has this 
duty been neglected; and yet how many hallowed re- 
membrances and affecting motives urge to its perform- 
ance ! The Jew is our brother. He possesses the same 
sympathies, and is susceptible of the same eternal hap- 
piness as we are. He has hopes and fears, joys and 
sorrows, aspirations and affections in common with our- 
selves ; and his soul, immaterial and immortal, is as 
precious as our own. Have we regarded him as a 
brother ? Have we acted towards him as we could wish 
him to act towards us were our circumstances reversed ? 
Have we sympathised in his sorrows, pitied his wrongs, 
taken him by the hand, reasoned and expostulated with 
him, and endeavoured by the influence of Christian love 
to soften his heart and win his confidence, and bring 
him to the feet of Jesus ? Have we not rather treated 
him as an alien, as an outcast, as one scorned of God, 
und abhorred by man ? The spirit of Christian love has 
gone abroad, and visited the remotest regions of the 
earth ; thousands of pounds have been contributed, and 
a laudable amount of talent and energy consecrated to 
the purpose of Christian missions. The standard of the 
cross has been planted on the burning plains of India ; 
the wilds and wastes of Africa have been made to rever- 
berate with the praises of the Redeemer ; the glorious 



ITS DESTINY. 



555 



Gospel of the blessed God lias been proclaimed to the 
inhabitants of the arctic regions^ and their hearts have 
been warmed and gladdened by its truths ; the savages 
of the Sonth Seas have heard the glad tidings of re- 
deeming mercy — have been humanized at the sound — 
and exchanged the yells of war for the songs of praise. 
All tribes and races of men have shared our compassions^ 
and called forth exertions for their welfare ; but_, in the 
wide grasp and stretch of Christian benevolence, our 
Jewish brethren, with whom we are in daily intercourse, 
and who are found at our very thresholds, have been lost 
sight of and forgotten. We have left the fallen sons of 
Abraham to pine and perish in their sins; and they 
may appeal from the injustice of man to the mercy of 
Heaven and say, ^'No man careth for our souls/^ And 
yet how much do we owe them ! 

The Jews gave us the Bible. Unto them were com- 
mitted the oracles of God." They were made the deposi- 
taries of the Divine Mind — the focus of spiritual light — 
the sun of the evangelical hemisphere, from which all the 
nations of the earth were to borrow illuminating ra^^s. 

We cannot unfold the Sacred Volume," says Mr. Stowell, 
" but every page is fitted to remind us how much vre are 
indebted to the Jews. The holy men of old, who wrote 
as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, were Jews._ It 
is next to certain that not one inspired penman sprang 
from any other race. Realize this as often as you dwell 
upon the records of eternity, and it cannot fail to enlarge 
your hearts towards the desolate posterity of patriarchs, 
prophets, and apostles. Whenever, therefore, the simple 
but most sublime Mosaic records fill you with adoring 
awe, invigorate your faith in the paternal providence, and 
enhance your reverence of the glorious majesty of God — 
remember Moses was a Jew. Whenever the sweet 
Psalmist of Israel awakes the deepest echoes of your souls ; 



556 



PALESTINE. 



whenever he enables you to pour forth the fulness of 
your hearts, whether in the bitterness of sorrow, the im- 
portunity of prayer, or the ecstacy of praise, forget not — 
David was a Jew. ^Yhenever the son of Amoz, in his 
chariot of fire, wafts your spirit to the skies, or bears you 
with eagle flight along the glowing path of prophecy — 
now kindling you into awful rapture, and now melting you 
into hallowed sadness, bear in mind — Isaiah was a Jew. 
As often as the four Evangelists lead you to trace the foot- 
steps of your blessed Master, hang on the gracious accents 
of his lips, or watch his miracles of mercy ; as often as 
they conduct you to Gethsemane and Calvary, to weep 
over his agony and bloody sweat, his cross and passion, or 
guide you to the garden, biddmg you ^ behold the place 
where the Lord lay,^ and triumph in his glorious re- 
surrection and ascension, be it recollected- — the Evangelists 
wei'e Jews. As often as the fervid Paul overpowers your 
uaderstan dings with Divine demonstration, rivets the an- 
chor of your hope within the veil, or fans yom* glowing 
gratitude to him that washed you in his blood, bethink 
you — the great Apostle of the Gentiles was a Jew. As 
often as the tender John breathes through your souls the 
influence of a Saviour^s love, and yields you the fruition 
of that Diore than earthly luxury — the luxury of loving 
others as yourselves, or as often as he transports you to 
the loftiest pinnacle of prophecy, and thence discloses to 
your \dew, in mystic vision, all the future history of the 
church, her conflicts and her conquests, till the glorious 
consummation when time shall be no longer, remember — 
the beloved disciple was a Jew. What shall we more say ? 
Every statute that guides us, every admonition that guards 
us, every consolation that cheers us, every hope that 
ammates us, every promise that rejoices, every assurance 
that sustams us, all we enjoy in this life and all we antici- 
part in the next, stands associated with the house of Israel. 



ITS DESTINY. 



557 



And is the measure of our obligations to Israel yet 
full ? No, men and brethren : Jesus was a Jew. ' He 
took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on 
him the seed of Abraham.^ (Heb. ii. 16.) " Oh., Chris- 
tians,^^ says another writer, " by whom have you been 
reconciled to God? Was it not a Jew, who shed his 
own blood, that by his death you might live : through 
whose intercession the Holy Ghost condescends to 
dwell in your hearts, to cheer you by his grace in 
every time of need?^^ " If,^'' says Dr. Bogue, "when 
we were labouring under a painful disease, a kind 
physician stepped in and healed us : if, when we were 
groaning in a state of abject bondage, a person who 
saw us there and felt for us, kindly paid the price of 
our redemption, and procured our release : if, when we 
were exposed to the punishment of death, and justice 
called aloud for the execution of the sentence of the 
law, he, to our astonishment, put himself in our place, 
and suffered that death which we deserved, that by 
suffering it we might live : if, when we were involved 
in debts which we could never pay, he generously, 
without solicitation, discharged them all : if, in addition 
to this, he loaded us with riches, and put into our 
hands the title-deeds of an inheritance ! to such a 
friend what does gratitude say is due ? But was there 
ever such a friend in this depraved world ? Yes, such 
a friend there was, nay, such a friend we have, who 
healed our spiritual diseases, who rescued us from the 
slavery of sin, and the tyranny of Satan ; who died in 
our room to deliver us from eternal death, and to 
purchase for us everlasting life ; who paid all our debts, 
'who, though he was rich, for our sakes became poor, 
that we through his poverty might be made rich / and 
who has conferred upon us ^an inheritance which is 
incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away/ 



558 



PALESTINE. 



And who is this friend ? He is a Jew, Jesus of Naza- 
reth, of the seed of Abraham according to the flesh. 
For such favours, what does gratitude say is owing to 
the Jews? I might rather ask, what does she say is 
not due that we may render, in order to deliver them 
from all their miseries which they suffer, and put them 
in possession of all the happiness which it is possible 
for them to enjoy 

The Jews gave us the Gospel. The first preachers of 
Christianity — the first missionaries of the cross — those 
heroic men who suffered the loss of all things,-''' and 
" counted not even their lives dear unto them,^-* so that 
they might save souls from death,^^ and " make known 
unto the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ^^ — 
these men were Jews. 

" That we Gentiles,^^ says Dr. Bogue, " received the 
Gospel from the Jews, and are indebted to them for all 
that we know of Jesus and redeeming love, will be 
universally acknowledged; for the Gospel came forth 
from Zion, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem ; 
and on this account their debtors verily we are. What 
I plead for, brethren, is that you and I should acknow- 
ledge and pay the debt, by communicating to them 
that Gospel which they first communicated to us. 
That this may be placed at the head of the list of cases 
of equity, will appear from a more ample statement. 

It is the very same thing that the J ews did to us 
which it is required that we should do to them. It was 
the Gospel which they gave to us ; and it is the Gospel 
which we are called upon to give to them. This can 
be done without injuring ourselves. The assistance 
required from each individual Christian for this pur- 
pose is such, that impoverished by it no one can be, or 
even sensibly affected in his circumstances. If there be 
a change, he will consider himself the richer for what he 



ITS DESTINY. 



559 



gires. Those Jews who first communicated the GospeJ 
to the Gentiles,, left father and mother^ brethren and 
sisters^ and their home^ and their conntry^ and their 
worldly business and substance^ in order to enrich tis 
with the heavenly treasure : but how small in respect 
to sacrifice is that which is required of us in return ! 
Fui'ther^ it can be done too with far less difficulty and 
danger. Those benevolent Hebre^^Sj who conveyed 
the Gospel to us^ whether immediately^ or by the inter- 
vention of other Sj in order to accomplish the object, 
were obliged to leave their native country, and to travel 
through many a land in much labour and toil, or to 
embark on the ocean with danger a hundredfold greater 
than at present, that they might reach the wished-for 
rest : and wherever they went, they carried their lives 
in their hands. (See 2 Cor. xi. 23—28.) To the 
savage caprice, to the cruel hati'ed of our ancestors — 
unfeeling, bigoted, barbarous pagans — they were ex- 
posed. Contempt, reproach, ridicule, insult, injury, 
were their daily lot : they had trial of cruel mockings 
and scourgings, yea, moreover, of bonds and imprison- 
ments ; and many of them sufi'ered death in its most 
horrid and cruel forms. To repay the mighty debt, we 
need not leave our own country, nor our fathers^ house. 
The ]posterity of Abraham dwell in the midst of nis ; 
and if they receive the Gospel, they will carry it for us 
to their brethren in foreign lands. I shall only add," 
continues Br. Bogue, " that the debt has long been 
owing; and, therefore, it is more than time that it 
should be paid. It is now upwards of 1600 years since 
the inhabitants of this island first received the Gospel, 
and the Jews communicated to us of their spiritual 
things. Ho^s^ much may we now consider it as en- 
hanced in value ; and the obligation of repaying it 
increased ! Were we to suppose the original debt of 



560 



PALESTINE. 



US Gentiles to the Jews to be valued at j810^000_, I ask 
you who are sldlful in calculation^ whatj at the distance 
of 1600 yearSj is its amount^ when laid out at interest 
to the best advantage ? All the gold and silver_, all the 
precious stones on the face of the earthy which are so 
cai-efuUy preserved and highly prized by the hundreds 
of millions of their possessors, would not be sufficient 
to repay it." 

We have inflicted cruel wrongs on the Jews, and done 
much to confirm them in their present impenitence and hosti- 
lity to the Gospel. Hear the charges preferred, and the 
affecting appeal made, by one of theii' own number, the 
Rev. J. S. Frey:— 

'^The Jews,^^ says he, have been injured both nega- 
tively and positively. Christians are verily guilty both 
of the sin of omission and commission. For ages past 
no man cared for their souls. Need I to prove again 
that it was always the duty of Christians to seek the 
salvation of Israel ? that there never was a time when 
we were not bound by the law of love to use our most 
earnest endeavours to deli\ er them from their unbelief, 
and to bring them to Jesus as the Saviour of sinners? 
And is neglect no sin ? Is there no criminality in hav- 
ing been inattentive to their eternal happiness ? If a 
brother had been perishing for hunger, and we had let 
him remain in that situation till death overtook him, 
how severe afterwards would oui' reflection have been I 
And is there no ground for severe reflections here? 
How comes it, that Christians never thought of their 
unhappy brethren, the seed of Abraham?^-' "How 
mournful,^'' says Dr. Bogue, " that we could be insensible 
of the obligation to so great and so plain a duty ! It is 
a humbling consideration to us all; and we may well 
lie in dust and ashes at Jehovah^s feet, crying out, 
* Guilty, guilty ! unclean, unclean V " 



ITS DESTINY. 



561 



But tKe Gospel has not only been withlielcl from the 
.Tews^ but various stumbling-blocks have been throvn m 
their way. Instead of presenting before their eyes the 
principles of Christianity in their Divine^ heavenly^ and 
lovely character^ the conduct of its professors has led 
them to despise and hate them. For_, as the tree is 
known by its fruity so the Jews judged of the Christian 
religion by the conduct of its professors. In every 
country vrhere the Eomish faith exists^ and especially where 
it is established^ the sight of their worship and of their 
churches must be disgusting and revolting to the Jews in 
the extreme. The worship of one true God is the funda- 
mental article of their religion ; but in the communion of 
Eome_, they hear prayers addressed to creatiu'es^ to the 
Virgin Mary and the saints. The adoration of graven 
images has justly been held by the Jews in the fullest 
abhorrence. But in every place of worship they appear 
in silver and gold^ in wood and stone,, and the lowliest 
adoration is paid them. When they pass along the 
street^ and meet a priest carrying the host^ which they will 
call; in plain language^, a wafer in a box, and see the peo- 
ple all kneel dov^m in the mire with deepest reverence^ and 
they are told that this is fie hon DieuJ the gracious God— 
what can be expected of Jews in these situations ? That 
they should embrace such a religion?. Xo ! who could 
wish them ? But that they should look upon it with 
cordial detestation and sovereign contempt. 

Ts'or are the wicked lives of Protestants less stumbliug 
to the Jews than the idolatry of the Romans. Do they 
not see what is as bad or worse ? Do they not hear 
blasphemies^ and oaths^ and imprecations, coupled with 
the name of the blessed Jesu$_, every hour ascend to 
heaven? Do not they behold intemperance^* lewd^ 

* TVhat Avould Dr. Bogue have said if he had witnessed those 
abominahle gin-palaces, which abound so much in tbe metropolis, and 

4c 



562 



PALESTINE. 



ness^ injustice, nay, every crime committed that can 
offend God, or render man guilty? To instance one 
sin : while the J ews profess, and in general do actually 
show much regard for the Sabbath, as a day of rest, 
from business and from pleasure, do they not see the 
mass of those who call themselves Christians, making 
it a day of business or of pleasure, and treating the 
Divine command which they profess to reverence, with 
the utmost contempt? What ideas can they form of 
our religion? and have they no claim, that justice 
should award them a suitable compensation?^^ 

But most of all have the Jews been made to stumble 
by the cruel manner in which they have been treated, 
both by Roman Catholics and Protestants : — In landf 
designated Christian, no less than in Pagan realms, 
derision, oppression, spoliation, and proscription, have 
hunted the exiles of Judah fiercely as the bloodhound 
tracks his prey. Their property has rarely been held 
sacred, or their persons inviolate : unsparing confisca- 
tions have a thousand times stripped them of their 
possessions, and inexorable banishments driven them 
from shore to shore; — alike the victims of the rapa- 
cious tyrant and the infuriate rabble, they have beei 
alternately ground down by political cupidity and 
trampled in the dust by the frenzy of "popular fanati- 
cism. To murder them has scarcely been reputed a 
crime, and to torment them has been regarded as a 
meritorious service. France, Spain, Germany, and 
Kussia, are equally infamous for Jewish suffering, and 
stamed with Jewish blood. Would that England, our 
native ^and, were guiltless ! But history testifies that 
her crimmality is dark indeed. During the period of 
the Crusades, indiscriminate havoc was made of the 

especially in those places already the abodes of ignorance, misery, and 
wretchedness 1 



ITS DESTINY, 



deYotecl people. On one occasion, in the city of York, 
1500 of them, including women and cHldren, having 
been hemmed in on every side, refused all quarter, and 
goaded on to madness, became, in the frenzy of despair, 
their own mutual murderers. On another occasion, a 
British monarch—libeller of the name — ordered 700 
Jews to be butchered, their dwellings to be pillaged, 
and theii' synagogue consumed. Another English king, 
disgracing the sceptre which he swayed, first plundered 
the Jews resident in this country of all their property, 
and then di'ove them forth into desolate banishment — 
15,000 pennyless, homeless, hopeless wanderers. Cen- 
turies passed away before the footsteps of this outraged 
race again mai'ked our desecrated shores."* 

Let us then arise, and, individually and collectively, 
address oui'selves to this duty. Let every one do some- 
thing to ameliorate the miseries, illumine the ignorance, 
and promote the salvation of the neglected and unhappy 
Israehtes. The guilt and apathy of the chuiTh has a 
noble exception in the London Society for Promoting 
Christianity among the Jews," which has sent forth 2 
host of veterans into the field — a band of holy, learned, 
self-denying men, who, amid privations and perils, are 
pursuing the even tenor of theii' way, conveying the 
light and consolations of the Gospel to the ^' dispersed 
of Judah," and gathering into the fold of the Eedeemer 
^'the lost sheep of the house of Israel.''' This excellent 
Society merits a much larger share of patronage and 
support than it has hitherto received. May its means 
be augmented, and its success multiplied a hundred-fold. 
If there are any who cannot freely or conscientiously 
support this Society, let them at once institute another, 
in accordance with theii' own views and predilections ; 
but, by all means, let something be done without delay 

* Stowell. 



56-1 



PALESTINE. 



to wipe off the guilt wliicli attaches to us, and to aid in 
working out God^s great purposes of providence and 
grace towards the house of Israel. 

Reader ! if you cannot do more, aid this good cause 
by your prayers. Let your aspirations ascend to heaven 
for the outpouring of the Spirit of grace and supplica- 
tion upon the descendants of Abraham — for the removal 
of the veil of unbelief that is upon them — that they 
may be brought with weeping and supplication to the 
feet of him whom they have pierced — that the root and 
fatness of the olive-tree may be restored, and the 
broken-off branches be grafted on again — that ungod- 
liness may be turned away from Jacob, and all Israel 
be saved. The Jews often and earnestly prayed for the 
conversion of the idolatrous Gentiles; (see 1 Kings 
viii. 41 — 43; Psalm Ixvii. 2, 3; Ixxii. 19; Isa. Ixii. 1, 
2;) then let believing Gentiles again pray for the 
unbelieving Jews. And let us carefully avoid putting 
stumbling-blocks in their way. If we attempt anything 
for their conversion, let it be in the spirit of Christian 
meekness and love. Let us propose and recommend 
Christianity to them as Christ proposed and recom- 
mended it ; laying before them their own prophecies, 
and showing their exact accomplishment in Jesus. 
Let us applaud their hatred of idolatry ; and show 
them the morality and god-like benevolence of the 
religion of Jesus in our lives and tempers. Let us never 
abridge their civil liberties, or infringe upon their right of 
judgment or liberty of conscience ; but, by a kind conci- 
liatory course of conduct, allay their fears and win their 
confidence — throw around them the light and lustre of 
Christianity, and thus endeavour to dispel the thick dark- 
ness that overshadows iliem, and lead them to the radiant 
beams of the Sun of Righteousness. 

May the time be accelerated when the Deliverer 



ITS DESTINY. 



565 



stall come out of Zion^^ — when Judaea shall again be 
lifted up among the nations — when the tree of the 
field shall yield her fruity and the earth shall yield her 
increase" — when ^^the desolate land shall be tilled^ and 
they shall say, This land that was desolate is become 
tie the garden of Eden;" (Ezek. xxiv. 27; xx\i. 8, 
24, 25;) when the repentant children of Judah and 
Israel shall be gathered from all the nations whither 
they are dispersed, and shall live again in their own 
land under a covenant of peace — when their waste cities 
shall be inhabited, and " they shall feed and lie down, 
and none shall make them afraid ;" when they shall 
call Jerusalem the Throne of tbe Lord, the Zion of the 
Holy One of IsraeF^ — when "his feet shall stand upon 
the mou^rt of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, 
and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof, 
toward the east and toward the west," and " the Gentiles 
shall come to his hght, and kings to the brightness of his 
rising." In that day, great shall be the peace of Jerusa- 
lem ; the beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety ; and a 
voice shall be heard on earth and echoed in heaven, " as 
the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty 
thunderings, saying, Hallelujah, for the Lord God Om- 
nipotent reigneth." 



FINIS, 



^ P P E iN^ D 1 X. 



TABLES 



TIME, WEIGHTS, MEASURES, AND MONEY, 

MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE. 



TABLE, SHEWING THE MODE OF RECKONING TIME, 
IN USE AMONG THE JEWS. 



JEWISH MONTHS. JULIAN MONTHS. JEWISH MONTHS. JUL AN MONTHS 



1st month, Ni- 
zan or A bib 



3. Sivan 



4. Tamuz 

5. Ab 



6. Elul 



rem middle of 
March to mid- 
dle of April 

2.IjarorZif {^^^ 

TMay 
\Jmie 
( June 
lJuly 

/July 

\ August 
/"August 
\ September 



7th month 
Tisri 



( From I 
<^ Sep.i 
I of 0( 



8. Marchesyan 



9. Cisleu 

10. Tebeth 

11. Shebat 

12. Adar 



middle of 
to middle 
October 
r October 
\ November 
5 November 
( December 
/December 
\ January 
j January 
\ February 
S February 
i[ March. 



The Jews began their year on the fii'st of Nisan; which was very 
near the vernal equinox. But, as their months were lunar ones, and 
the year thus constructed fell eleven days short of the solar year, they 
were obliged, in order to keep the festivals to their proper seasons, to 
add, every second or third year, a thirteenth month ; which they did 
after the month Adar, and called it Veadar : which answered almost 
exactly to our month of March. This was the year by which all their 
fasts, festivals, and ecclesiastical matters, were regulated. But, in 
civil affairs, and in reckoning their jubilees and Sabbatical years, they 
made use of the ancient Chaldean and Egyptian year; which began on 
the 1st of Tisri, or about the autumnal equinox. This year was a solar 
year, consisting of twelve months, of thirty days each : but as, in this 
mode of reckoning, five days were wanting to complete the year, this 
number was added to the last month. 



568 APPENDIX. 



TABLE SHEWING THE LESSER DIVISIONS OF TIME. 



DAYS OF THE WEEK. 


HOUKS OF THE DAY. 


WATCHES. ' 


1st day .... Sunday 
2nd day. . . . Monday 
3rd day. . . , Tuesday 
' 4th day. . . , Wednesday 
5th day. . . . Thursday 

6th day Friday 

7th day ovl „ , , ' 
Sabbath) ^^t^^^^y- 


The day reckoned 
from sunrise, and 
the night from sun- 
setjwhich were each 
divided into twelve 
equal parts, called 
the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 
4th, &c. hours. 


1st watcti irom o to y 
2nd watch from 9 to 1 2 
3rd watch"! 

or cock- Mrom ] 2 to 3 

crowing J 

4th or morn- 1^ o* r 
, , }ft'om3to(j 
mg watch J 

In the Old Testament, the night 
is divided into three watches, be- 
tween sunset and sunrise. 



JEWISH WEIGHTS, REDUCED TO ENGLISH 
TROY WEIGHT. 

lbs. OS. pen. gr. 

The Gerah, the twentieth part of a Shekel 12 

The Bekah, half a Shekel 0050 

The Shekel 10 C 

The Maneh, 60 Shekels 2600 

The Talent, 50 Maneh, or 3000 Shekels .... 125 



TABLES OF SCRIPTURE MEASURES OF LENGTH, 
REDUCED TO ENGLISH MEASURE. 



SHORT MEASURE. 



A Dig it . . 

4 I A Pa lm .... 
12 I 3 I A Span 



24 I 6 



i 3 I A Cu bit .. 
96 I 24 I 6 I 2 I A Fa thom 
144 I 36 I I27~ 6 I 1-5 I Ezek iel'sReed .. 
, 192 I 48 I 16 i 8 I 2 I 1-3 | A n Arabian Pole.. 
| 1920 I 480 I 160 I 80 I 20 | 13-3| 10 | A Shoenus 
Measuring Line .... .... . . . . 



Eng. ft. inches. 
0-912 
3-648 

10-944 

1 9-888 
7 3-552 

10 11-328 
14 7-104 



145 11- 04 



LONG MEASURES. 



Eng. miles, paces. 



A Cubit 



400 I A Stadium or Furlong . . .... 

2000 I 5~j A Sabbath-day's Journey .. 

4000 I 10 I 2~| An Eastern Mile 

12000 I 30 I 6 I 3 I A Pa rasang 

9e;0:0 j 24^ 48 | 24 | 8 | A Day's Journey. . 
Note. — 5 feet— 1 pace ; 1056 paces=l mile. 







1 

4 

33 





145 
729 
403 
153 
172 



feet. 

1-824 

4-6 

30 

1-0 

3- 

4- 



APPENDIX. 



569 



TABLES OF SCRIPTURE MEASURES OF CAPACITY 

MEASURES FOR LIQUIDS, REDUCED TO ENGLISH 
WINE MEASURE. 

gall, pirdi. 

ACaph 0-62d 

— TTl ALo g 0-833 

5-3 I 4 I A Ca b 3-333 

16 I 12 I 3 i A Hi n 12 

32 I 24 I 6 I 2 I A Se ah 2 4 

96 I 72 I 18 I 6 I 3 1 A Ba th or Ephah .... 74 
960 I 720 I 180 I 60 I 20 | 10 | A Chomer, Homer, 

Kor, or Coros .... .... .... 75 5 



MEASURES FOR THINGS DRY, REDUCED TO ENGLISH 
CORN MEASURE. 



A Gachal .... .... .... 

■■201 AjCab 

1-8 I An Omer or Gomer 
~ I A Seah .... 

I 3 I An Ephah 



36 



120 



360 



1800 



|3600 



33- 



18 



10 



90 I 60 I 15 I 5 I A L eteeh 
180 I 100 I 30 I 10 I 2 I A Chomer, 



Ho 



mer, Kor, or Coros 



pecks, gall, pints. 









o-i4ie 








2-8333 








5-1 


1 





1 


3 





3 


16 








32 





1 



TABLES OF MONEY. 



JEWISH MONEY, REDUCED TO THE ENGLISH STANDARD. 







£. 


s. 


d. 


A Gerah .... .... .... .... 










1-2687 


10 1 ABekah 







1 


1-6875 


20 1 2 1 A Shekel 







2 


3-375 


1200 1 120 1 50 1 A Maneh, or Mina Hebraica 


5 14 


0-75 


60000 1 6000 1 3000 | 60 | A Talent 




342 


3 


9 


A Solulus Aureus, or Sextula, was worth 


• • • • 





12 


0-6 


A Siclus Aureus, or Gold Shekel .... 


• • • • 


1 


16 


6 


A Talent of Gold 




6475 












4 


D 





670 



APPENDIX. 



ROMAN MONEY, MENTIONED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, RELUOED 
TO THE ENGLISH STANDAKD. 

£. s. d. far 

A Mite (Assarium) .... .... .... | 

A Farthing (Quadrans) about IJ 

A Penny, or Denarius .... .... .... .... 7 8 

A Pound, or Mina .... ... ... .... 3 2 6 

In the preceding Tables, Silver is valued at 5s. and Gold at £4> 

per Ounce. 



INDEX. 



A. 



Abarim, mountains of .. 110 

Abel-Beth-Maacliah . . 197 

Abel-Meholath .. 197 

Abel-Mizraim .. 197 

Abel-Shittim .. 198 

Abilene, district of . . 29 

Accho, orPtolemais .. 198 

Aceldama . . 198 

Achshaph, or Achzib . . 198 

Admah . . 198 

Adullam . . 199 

Ai, Hai, or Gai . . 199 

Ajalon . 199 

^lia Capitolina, building of 472 

Alexander, Conquests of . . 409 

, at Jerusalem .. 410 

Almug, the .. 161 

Anathoth . . 199 

Antiochus Epipbanes .. 414 

Antipatris . . 199 

Aphek . . 200 

Argob . . 200 

Arimathea . . 200 

Armageddon . . 201 

Arnon, river of .. 127 

Aroer . . 201 

Ashdod .. 201 

Ashdoth-Pisgah . . 202 

Asher, tribe of . . 21 



P&GB. 

Ashtaroth-Carnaim . . 202 

Askelon, or Ascalon . . 203 

Asmonseans, the, wars of . . 417 

Azekah . . 203 

Azotus, or Ashdod .. 203 

Azza, or Gaza . . 203 

B. 

Bahurim . . 203 

Barcochab, the false Messiah 471 

Bashan, country of . . 203 

Batansea, district of . . 33 

Beatitudes, Mount of . . 112 

Beer 204 

Beeroth . . 205 

Beersheba . . 205 

Bela 205 

Benjamin, tribe of .. 22 

Berachah, Yalley of .. 120 

Besor, brook of . , 128 

Bethabara . . 205 

Bethany . . 206 

Bethaven . . 206 

Bethel .. 20G 

Bethesda, pool of , . 147 

Beth- Jesimoth . . 207 

Bethlehem . . 207 

Bethoron 218 

Bethphage .. 212 

Beth-Rehob . . 347 



572 



INDEX. 



PAGE. 

Bethsaida ,. 212 

Bethshan . . 215 

Bethshemesh . . 215 

Bethulia .. 216 

Bethzur, or Bethsura . . 216 

Bezek . . 216 

Bezer, or Bozrak . . 216 

Bochim, Valley of . . 120 

C. 

Cjesarea Palestina . , 217 

Csesarea Philippi .. 219 

Calvary, Mount , . 116 

Cana . . 220 

Canaanites, account of . . 373 

Capernaum . . 220 

Carmel, City of . . 221 

, Mount . . 101 

Cedron, brook of . . 129 

Cherith, brook of . . 129 

Chorazin . . 221 

Chosroes II . . 474 

Church of the Holy Sepulchre 310 

Cinneroth, City of . . 221 

, Sea of .. 130 

Constantine the Great .. 473 

Crusades, account of . . 476 

Cyrus, decree of . . 402 

D. 

Dalmanutha . . 222 

Dan, City of . . 222 

, tribe of . . 22 

Decapolis, region of . . 34 

Dibon-Gad . . 222 

Dor, or Dora . . 222 

Dotham . . 222 

E. 

Edrei . . 222 

Ekron . . 222 

Elah, Valley of .. 121 

Emmaus . . 223 



Mas. 

Endor , , 223 

Engedi , , 224 

Ephraim, City of , . 224 

, tribe of 22 

Ephrath, or Ephrata , . 225 

Esdraelon, Plain of 122 

G. 

Gad, tribe of 23 

Gadara , , 225 

Gaash, hillof 113 

, brook of 129 

Galilee, province of . , 26 

, Sea of ,. 330 

Gath . , 226 

Gath-hepher , , 227 

Gaulon , , 227 

Gaulonitis, district of . , 33 

Gaza , , 227 

Gennesareth, Lake of . 130 

Gerar , . 228 

Gerasa, or Gergesa . . 228 

Gezer . , 228 

Gibbethon . . 228 

Gibeah . . 228 

Gibeon . . 228 

Gilboa, mountains of . . 110 

Gilead, City of . . 229 

, mountains of . . 109 

Gilgal . . 229 

Gomorrah . . 230 

Grotto of the Nativity . . 208 

H. 

Hadrian, persecution by . . 470 

Harosheth . . 230 

Hazor . . 231 
Hebrews, their increase in 

Egypt .. 380 
, review of their 

history . . 394 
, condition of, in 

exile . . 39% 



INDEX. 573 



PAGB. 

Hebrews, return of from Ba- 



bylon 403 

Hebron . . 231 

Hermon, Mount . . 100 

Heraclius, campaign of . . 474 

Herod tlie Great, reign of . . 424 

Heshbon . . 233 

Hiunom, Valley of .. 119 

I. 

Idumsea, province of . . 34 
Israel, mountains of .. Ill 
— — — , kingdom of — its for- 
mation . . 387 
, kingdom of— its de- 
struction . . 388 

, territory of . . 26 

Issachar, tribe of . . 22 

Itursea, district of . . 32 

J. 

Jabbok, the river . . 128 

Jabesh-Gilead . . 234 

Jacob's Well . . 147 

Jahaz . . 234 

Jamnia . . 234 

Japho . . 235 

Jazer .. 235 

Jehoshaphat, Valley of . . 118 

Jericho, City of . . 235 

, Vale of . . 123 

Jerusalem, description of .. 238 

, historical sketch of 264 

, siege and destruc- 
tion of, by Titus . . 451 

, the modern city . . 267 

Jesus Christ, birth of . . 429 

, his second advent 530 

Jew^ish empire, its prosperity, 24, 385 

Jewish war . . 441 

Jezreel . . 332 

Joppa . . 332 

Jotapata, siege of . . 442 

Judah, tribe of . . 23 



rAGB. 

Judah, kingdom of . . 387 

, territory of . . 26 

Judaea, province of . . 29 

Julian the Apostate . . 473 

K. 

Kanah, brook of 128 

Kedemoth . . 333 

Kedesh 333 

Kedron, brook of ,.129 

Kirjathaim , , 333 

Kirjath-jearim 334 

Kishon, river of 128 

L. 

Lebanon, mountains of . . 86 

, cedars of . . 96 

Libnah . . 334 

Lydda . . 334 

M. 

Maachah . . 334 

Magdala . . 334 

Mahanaim „ . 334 

Makkedah . . 334 

Mamre . . 335 

Manasseh, tribe of . . 22 

Maon . . 335 

Masada, siege of , . 463 

Medeba . . 335 

Mediterranean, Plain of . 124 

Megiddo . . 335 

Merom, Lake of .. 132 

Michmasb ., 335 

Minnith . . 335 

Mizpeh . . 335 

Modin . . 336 

N. 

Nain . . 336 

Naphtali, tribe of . . 21 

Nazareth . . 336 

Nob 340 



574 



INDEX. 



Olives, Mount of 
Omar, conquests of 
, Mosque of 

P. 

Palace of Herod 
Palestine, aborigines of 
, boundaries of 



113 

475 
287 

262 
373 
13 

— , division by Joshua 19, 383 

, division by the Ro- 
mans . . 26 
— — — division by the Turks 35 
... — , names given to .. 9 
, Atmospheric Phe- 
nomena — climate,41 — seasons, 58 
— hail, 47 — rain, 48— dews, 51 — 
■wiods, 53— thunderstorms, 54 — 
waterspouts, 57. 

— 5 Local Calamities : — 

plague, 64 — earthquakes, 64 — 
tornado, 65 — locusts,70 — simoom, 
74— mirage, 82. 

, its mountains 



— , its valleys 
— , its plains 
— , its rivers 
■— , iiS brooks 
— its lakes 
- — , its fountains 



85 
, 117 
122 
126 
128 
130 
146 

■ — , Natural History of — 

its geology, 153 — vegetable pro- 
ductions, 160 — zoology, 177 — 
ornithology, 186 — fertility of the 
soil, 148. 

, Political History of — 

, its conquest by the 



Israelites 

, invasion of 

Shalmaneser 
, invasion of 



by 

by 

Nebuchadnezzar 

, subjugation of by 

the Romans 



382 



389 



390 



421 



Palestine, invasion of by the 
Parthians 

— — , invasion of by Ju- 
lius Severus 

, invasion of by 

Chosroes II. 

, invasion of by the 

Caliph Omar 

, invasion of by Sel- 



jukian Turks 

, invasion of by the 



Saracens 



, invasion of by the 

Crusaders 

, invasion of by Sa- 

ladin 

, invasion of by the 



Mamelukes 

— ■■ — , invasion of by the 



Othman Turks 
, present condition of. 



Penuel 

Persea, province of 

— ■■ , district of 

Ptolemais 

R. 

Rabbath-Ammon 

Ramoth-Gilead 

Rehob 

Rephaim, "Valley of 
Reuben, tribe of 
Riblah 

S. 

Salmon, Mount 
Salt, Vale of 
Samaria, province of 

City of 

Samechonitis, Lake of 
Scythopolis 
Sharon, Plain of 

— , City of 

Shechem 
Shiloh 



PAQB, 

422 
472 

474 

475 

475 

475 

476 

485 

485 

485 
485 
340 
29 
33 
34C 

346 
347 
347 
118 
23 
347 

112 
121 
29 
347 
132 
348 
125 
354 
348 
354 



INDEX. 





TA.QB. 


ShunenQ . . 


000 




121 


Sidon • • 


355 


Sihory trook of c • 


129 


Silo^iri) pool of • • 


146 


SiniBoiij tribe of . • 


22 


Sodonij City of • • 


00 1 




132 


Solomon's PalacB) &c. 






130 


Succoth . . 


oO / 


S XT on 55 1* 

o VCXJai • • 


357 


T. 






105 


T2lppu3.ll • • 


357 


'fskos* • • 


358 


X cili Ulcy Its clcl/tiUll Uy OU- 






240 


- n Acf fn r*'!"! r\Ti fii nv 




I'jGl)U.cll3.d.IlGZZ3,r • • 


393 


■ ■ ' ■ f rtIUU.liU.llig Ui Ujr 




7prnhhnhp1 248 


406 


» f demolition of by the 




Romans 


457 


— — — , description of 


240 


— — , dedication of 


244 


Ten Tribes, revolt of 


387 


— , their captivity . . 


389 



their restoration 495 



575 



PAGH 

Terebinthlne Vale .. 121 

Thebez . . 358 

Tiberias, City of . . 358 

— ' , Lake of . . 130 

Timnath . . 360 

Timnath-Heres . . 360 

Tirzah . . 361 

Titus, camj aign of 451 

Tower of Antonia . . 263 

Trachonitis, district of . . 31 

Tyre , . 361 

V. 

Vines and Vineyards of 

Judsea .. 166 

Vespasian, Campaign of . . 441 

W. 

"War of Independence . . 417 
Z. 

Zarephath . . 371 

Zartanah . . 371 

Zeboim . . 371 

Ziklag . . 371 

Ziph .. 371 

Zoar . . 371 

Zor&h 372 



BATH : PEINTED BV BINNS AND GOODWIN. 




i '.'1 





i: I'll 



00 



